


The Class Trip

by xXdreameaterXx



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Road Trip, F/M, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-02-16
Packaged: 2018-05-16 05:01:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 26,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5815204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXdreameaterXx/pseuds/xXdreameaterXx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clara has been looking forward to this school trip for months – almost 2 weeks on the Isle of Skye. If only it wasn't for the obnoxious, irresponsible father of one of her students who only wants to be referred to as the Doctor and unfortunately has volunteered to accompany them on the trip. While one part of her is still considering if she could just push him off a cliff, another can't help but think that he looks quite attractive. Rated E for later.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Thanks for driving me,” Clara said sincerely from the passenger seat of her best friend's car, “I really wasn't keen on carrying my luggage all over the Tube during rush hour.”  
“No problem,” Amy replied, “It told you I'd have passed your school anyway. And I'm sorry I was a bit late.”  
Clara checked her watch again. It was 8:55 and the bus was supposed to depart at 9. She looked ahead and could already spot the school, the bus and the large crowd gathering in front of it.  
“Ah, don't worry about it. I'm the teacher, they can't leave without me,” Clara said and suddenly she was startled by honking coming from behind them. A few seconds later a Mercedes was speeding past them.  
“What an asshole!” Clara exclaimed.  
Amy groaned. “He's been tailgaiting me for a minute and. . . _hang on!_ ”  
They both gasped as the car pulled up at the school car park and when they came closer to the school Clara recognized the boy that stepped out of the car. It was Logan Smith, one of her students, followed by someone who appeared to be his father.  
“Can you believe this man?!” Clara asked angrily, “Speeding right next to a school when he can clearly see there are children running about? And with his own son in his car?!”  
Amy giggled when she parked the car in front of the school. “Uh-oh, that man's in trouble.”  
“You bet he is,” she replied, still sounding angry and Clara hoped she could keep that anger up until she was done with Mr Smith, “He is going to get a top quality lecture.”

Clara leaned over to the driver's seat and gave Amy a peck on each cheek to say goodbye.  
“Thanks again for the lift. I'll give you a call when I know what time we'll be returning exactly,” she said.  
“Send me a postcard, will you?” Amy asked happily, “Oh, I miss Scotland.”  
“No, you don't,” Clara smiled and closed the passenger door.  
After retrieving her suitcase from the boot she searched the crowd for Logan and his father and soon spotted him already halfway by the bus.

“Mr Smith,” she called after him, trying not to give away how angry she was immediately, “Could you wait for me for a second?”  
The man turned around and spotted her before he bent down towards his son and apparently told him to go ahead because Logan nodded and quickly darted off to meet his friends. Clara observed Mr Smith as she stepped closer. Logan had only come to Coal Hill at the beginning of the school year and his father had missed the first parent-teacher-night because the child had been sick with chicken pox at that time. He seemed to be in his late 50s, dressed in a long magician's coat and a dark jumper with holes, his grey, curly hair a complete mess and from the smug smile on his face Clara already determined that she didn't like him. While she had been fixated on his strange sense of dress Clara had completely overlooked the fact that he was holding not one but two bags and an additional guitar case.  
“I assume you are one of the teachers,” he said, showing off a Scottish accent.  
“You assume right,” Clara spat, “And I assume your speedo must be broken because otherwise you would never drive so recklessly so close to a school and with your own son in your car.”  
Mr Smith gave a short laugh. “No need to worry, Miss Oswald. I am a very good driver.”  
“That is not the point. There are chil-” suddenly she stopped, frowning, “Hang on, how do you know who I am?”  
The man's smile didn't falter and his eyes appeared to scan her from head to toe. “You're short and bossy and you seem like you're very good at being cross, I've heard my son's friends use these exact same words to describe their English teacher.”  
Clara opened her mouth to speak but Mr Smith was faster than her.  
“Now, better get going,” he winked at her and turned around, heading towards the bus station.

He had winked at her! Clara felt the urge to slap him. Not only was he irresponsible and rude but Mr Smith was also cheeky and he clearly wasn't a good father. Wordlessly she trudged after him, thinking of a dozen insults she would just love to throw at this insolent man when she spotted Danny and Martha, the two other other teachers who were going to Scotland, standing by the bus and she decided to go and say hello instead of starting a real fight with Logan's father.  
Danny, the new maths teacher, and Martha, biology, had been dating ever since the start of the school year and they had both agreed to accompany the class on the school trip. Clara hadn't even thought twice about saying yes, she had been wanting to go to the Isle of Skye since she had known it existed but unfortunately they hadn't been able to find a fourth teacher that was necessary to watch over the kids. According to Coal Hill school policy there had to be one adult for every five children taking part in a school trip. Luckily for all of them one of the parents had volunteered to come to Scotland as well and keep an eye on 20 13-year-olds although Clara couldn't see him or her anywhere. The only other adults apart from her and the other teachers were Mr Smith and the bus driver.  
“Hey, sorry I'm late,” Clara greeted her colleagues as she approached them.  
“That's okay,” Martha said happily, “The last kid only just arrived as well. Danny, can you check the attendance again?”  
Danny, having been a soldier before becoming a teacher, saluted her jokingly and, the list in his hand, walked off to check if really everyone had arrived.  
“So, who's the parent coming to Scotland with us?” Clara asked and looked around, still not seeing anyone.  
“You've just been talking to him,” Martha replied, pointing in the direction of the grey-haired stick insect with the magician's coat.  
Clara's mouth fell open as she turned towards her colleague. “No! Way!”  
“Yes,” Martha said, smiling, “Mr Smith, Logan's father.”  
“He can't!” she argued immediately, “He is irresponsible and rude! He can't be trusted with one child, let alone 20! Have you seen how he drove up to the school?”  
“He's the only one that volunteered,” her colleague explained, “Without him this trip wouldn't be taking place at all. And you and I both know that the one-per-five rule is silly. Most of these kids are angels, we can handle them.”  
“Have you forgotten Courtney Woods and how good she is at recruiting her fellow students to cause trouble?” Clara groaned, rolling her eyes, “I bet she'll be teaming up with Mr Smith next.”  
Martha started to laughed. “Now, come on before the bus leaves without us. Do you want the back or the front?”  
Clara sighed. “Since Courtney will be taking over the back, I'll gladly stay in the front.”

After handing over her suitcase to the bus driver to put in the boot Clara got on the bus and took the window seat in the front row. They would only be driving as far as Glasgow today and spend the first night in a hostel and after a short tour through the city they would be on their way to the Isle of Skye and Clara was already looking forward to a quiet ride and finishing the novel in her purse when suddenly someone took the seat next to her. Clara looked up and spotted Mr Smith right by her side.  
“Is there nowhere else you can sit?” Clara asked, probably more rudely than she should have. Mr Smith however smiled back at her.  
“As a matter of fact, no. All the other seats are taken. Unless you want me to remain standing for the next seven hours?”  
She let out a quiet groan.  
“And please, call me John. Or the Doctor if you like. Both is fine.”  
“I'd rather not,” she replied and when she looked around she spotted something next to John Smith's feet, “Is that a guitar case?”  
“It might be,” he replied with the brightest of smiles as the bus began to move.  
Clara decided to just accept her fate and started rummaging through her purse to retrieve her book and opened it where she had left off. The protagonist was still in the hospital after a car accident and a mysterious woman kept paying him visits.  
“What are you reading?”  
She took a deep breath before she replied brusquely. “A book.”  
“Ahhhh, so that explains the pages and the writing on them. I wouldn't have guessed,” Mr Smith chuckled, the amusement so audible in his tone that Clara wanted to smack him.  
“Listen,” Clara shot around, her voice harsh, “The fact that someone is reading means they don't want to talk, so either move away from this seat and stand next to someone who wants to talk or keep your mouth shut. Either is fine by me.”  
“You don't like me,” Mr Smith said, still sounding a little amused, “You don't know me but you don't like me.”  
“I know that you're irresponsible and rude and annoying, that's enough for me.”  
Mr Smith raised an eyebrow but before he could reply the speakers in the bus crackled and a few moments later Ernie, the bus driver, made an announcement and that was finally enough to shut up the man sitting next to her. Clara leaned back in her seat and tried to think of every reason why she wanted to go to Scotland but one thing was for sure: it would be a very, _very_ long ride.


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor woke up when someone punched him in the arm and he immediately sat up straight. It took him a moment to realize where he was. Right. The bus. The school trip to Scotland. He must have dozed off.  
“You snore!”  
Still a little confused he turned around and saw the face of the teacher who seemed constantly angry and passive-aggressive for no apparent reason. The look she gave him right now was one of pure annoyance and he wasn't exactly sure what he had done to deserve that.  
“I don't snore,” was all he could reply at first.  
“Yes, you do. Also, we stopped at a petrol station and I want to stretch my legs,” Miss Oswald said angrily.  
With a sigh he leaned back in his seat. “Then go and do that. I'm not stopping you,” he replied and closed his eyes again.  
“I will not climb over you just because you're too lazy to get up for a few seconds!”  
With a groan the Doctor rose from his seat and, once standing, decided that stretching his legs might be a good idea after all. He could do with some fresh air and time away from Miss Oswald. He still had no clue why she hated him so much, surely it couldn't be just because of his driving, but he was slowly beginning to mirror her aversion. 

When he stepped outside the bus he spotted his son with a group of friends and he waved at him, Logan only reluctantly waved back.  
“Do you need anything from the petrol station?” the Doctor called over in the direction of his son.  
Logan rolled his eyes. “You gave me money, Dad, remember?”  
He smiled to himself as his son entered the station together with his friends. The condition of the Doctor coming along was that he didn't embarrass him and though he had no idea what his son's idea of embarrassment was he decided to give his kid some space. It was his first real class trip and he didn't want to ruin it for him. The Doctor was actually very proud of Logan. His grades were good, he had made some friends and he seemed quite happy, even after everything he had been through.  
“Looks like your son doesn't like you very much either,” Miss Oswald said teasingly as she passed him.  
Okay. That did it. The Doctor was willing to take all kinds of insults and meanness from this horrible teacher but not when when it was in any way about him being a lousy father.  
“What exactly is your problem?” the Doctor asked her sincerely, “Seriously, if there is anything you'd like to say to me, say it and we can get this over with. The last thing I want is two weeks of your taunting.”  
Miss Oswald turned around and looked at him. “I don't have a problem. Except with you. You're the last person I would have selected to accompany 20 children on a trip. What's your qualification for this anyway?”  
He shrugged. “I'm a doctor. These are kids. We're going to spend some time in nature. Cuts and bruises are bound to happen.”  
Miss Oswald cocked her eyebrows at him. “And that's all? You can cut people open and stitch them back together? That qualifies you to watch over 20 children?”  
“Has anyone ever told you that you are a b-” the Doctor stopped. No. He wouldn't call his son's teacher a bitch. Not on the first day. Even though she was. “A very annoying person?!”  
“That's basically my job description,” she smiled at him and headed to where the other teachers were standing.

Shaking his head the Doctor entered the petrol station where Logan and his friends were still debating which sweets and biscuits to get. He walked up to the counter, ordering a large coffee and the last chocolate croissant before he went to have a look at their selection of newspapers, already sipping the hot beverage. He needed all the caffeine and sugar he could get after having been called to an emergency late last night. It didn't happen very often, not since he had quit his job at the hospital and opened a private practice but from time to time he still had to work late at night. The Doctor grabbed the latest issue of _The Times_ and headed back to the counter when he spotted Miss Oswald.  
“Do you have any croissants with chocolate?” she asked the cashier.  
The Doctor started smiling to himself. A perfect opportunity like this, a perfect opportunity to get back at her probably wouldn't present itself any time soon so he quickly approached her.  
“They did,” he said with a grin and took a large bite off his croissant. She glared at him, “And they're really, really good.”  
He handed the cashier more money for the newspaper than it actually cost and quickly headed out of the station before the annoying teacher could even reply. It was a small victory but a victory nonetheless. 

 

When he came back to his seat the Doctor didn't find Miss Oswald sitting there but Danny Pink, the maths teacher, instead.  
“Clara and Martha had some things to discuss,” Mr Pink explained, “I hope you don't mind that we traded seats for the rest of the way to Glasgow.”  
“Not at all,” the Doctor replied, falling back into his seat. _Things to discuss_ was a nice way of saying _I can't stand to be seated next to him for another minute_ but he didn't care. Mr Pink was nice and friendly and he seemed open for a chat. The Doctor was glad for everything that kept him from dozing off again.  
“Have you ever been to Glasgow?” Mr Pink asked.  
“I'm _from_ Glasgow,” the Doctor replied, “Moved to London right after Logan was born. I don't miss it. But the Isle of Skye is nice. The kids will love it.”  
Mr Pink laughed in reply. “They're 13 – they won't love it, especially the hiking trips we've planned out. They just love being away from their parents for a bit.”  
“Tough luck for Logan, then,” the Doctor said, smiling to himself.  
“Nah, Logan is one of the nice kids. He's actually doing really good, seeing that they've all known each other since elementary school and he was thrown into the mix only this year. Did you move within London, or what was the reason?” he asked curiously.  
“Personal reasons,” the Doctor paused for a bit, unsure of whether he should tell Logan's teacher or not. He lowered his voice, “His mother died two years ago. Logan misses her a lot and it didn't help that everyone around him knew and treated him like he was made of glass because of it. The change helped, I think.”  
“I'm sorry for your loss,” Mr Pink said sincerely, “For yours and Logan's. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone.”  
“Thanks,” the Doctor muttered.  
“He really is a good kid. I think maths isn't his strong suit but he's trying and I'm sure he'll make it. And he's found some good friends, especially Tim and Leon. They're thick as thieves.”  
“I know,” he replied, laughing, “They're always hanging out at my house, blocking my telly with their video games. They're talking about starting a band since Logan's taking guitar lessons and Leon plays the keyboard. If Tim can convince his parents to let him learn the drums I fear for my ears. I got him a tutor about the maths issues though. I hope that will help.”  
Mr Pink smiled kindly. “Oh, it's helping. He's eager to learn and as far as I've heard he's getting good grades in everything else. Clearly his talents are stronger elsewhere but I'm confident that he'll get the hang of maths eventually.”  
“Good,” the Doctor let out a long breath as he leaned back in his seat, “I knew he was keeping up well but it's nice to hear it from his teachers.”  
It _was_ nice to hear, especially after Miss Oswald had started to insinuate that he was a bad parent. The Doctor was proud of only two things: being a good doctor and being a good father to Logan and those two were the only things that mattered to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the first comments :) Now, let's hear the Doctor's side.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments :))) Let's see what trouble our beloved Doctor and Clara get into now, shall we?

Clara looked out of the windows as they drove into Glasgow and she decided that she didn't like the city. Not only was it bleak and rainy but she had overheard Logan talking to his friends and apparently his father had been living here almost all his life and if the city could produce idiots like him, Clara already disliked it from the beginning.  
“Are you going to keep Danny and me separated for the rest of the trip?” Martha asked next to her, “Just to avoid Mr Smith?”  
She sighed. “Would you mind?”  
Martha replied with a laugh. “Actually, yes. Come on, Mr Smith can't possibly be that bad.”  
“You have no idea,” Clara grumbled when the bus came to a halt on the car park in front of the hostel.  
Martha immediately rose from her seat and announced their arrival, telling their students that they should gather all the things they needed over night and then meet outside in front of the bus to get their bags and suitcases.

Even though the hostel looked a little shabby from the outside Clara soon realized that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. A friendly man greeted them at the reception and gave a quick explanation of the house rules. Clara doubted the excited kids actually listened to him but it was the teachers' job to make sure they didn't cause trouble. The boys all fit into one room which was directly at the end of the corridor, the girls took a while to decide how they would divide into two groups and Courtney Woods ended up taking all the trouble makers into her room. Clara sighed when she saw the outcome but at least one room would stay complication-free.  
“Will you be sharing a room, too?” the man behind the reception asked and Clara needed a moment to realize she was the one being spoken to. Then she noticed Martha and Danny holding hands and how close she was standing next to John Smith without having realized it.  
“Yeah, sure,” Mr Smith answered drily, “If you want to dispose of my corpse and pay for the cleaning of the carpet, sure, put us in the same room.”  
“No need to get snarky,” Clara scolded him, “A simple no would have been enough for the man.”  
The receptionist gave them an awkward smile. “Your rooms are the first two on the right. Dinner is at 7.”  
Clara nodded and turned towards the group. “Okay, everyone: Go to your rooms but don't get too settled and don't cause too big a mess. We're only here for one night. You can go outside but you're not allowed to leave the premises. See you all at dinner here at 7. If there is any problem or question, the our rooms are the first three on the right.”

Once Clara had closed the door behind her she took a long, deep breath, a little relieved to be on her own for a moment and especially relieved to be away from Mr Smith. Exactly how she would survive this week without brutally murdering him she didn't know yet. Why had they said yes when he had volunteered? Hadn't they seen that he was completely irresponsible and not fit to look after the entire class? But of course they hadn't. Logan was close to being the model pupil. Good grades, polite to the teachers, nice to the other students, a handful of good friends, a talent for music and English if not so much for maths. Maybe he was a bit shy and reserved but there was nothing bad Clara could say about him and it bothered her. How could a man like Mr Smith raise such a perfect kid? She decided that it must be the mother who was working the miracles and not him. 

Clara spent her time reading until it was almost 7 and she was glad when at dinner she could sit far away from Mr Smith, who was chatting with Danny about something and so she decided to do the same with Martha. The children were behaving so far, although Courtney Woods seemed agitated about something but Clara knew that whatever agitated her least favourite student was good news for her.  
Slowly but surely one after the other vanished from the table to retreat to their rooms or go outside once more to where the football field was and Martha started yawning next to her.  
“I'm knackered,” she admitted after a while, “Could you and Mr Smith check on the kids tonight? I swear I'll take the next few nights but I really need some sleep now.”  
Clara rolled her eyes. “Are you trying to set me up with that idiot?”  
Her colleague giggled in reply. “Honey, he is not that bad. And no, I'm not trying to set you up, I just want you to give him a chance.”  
“Never gonna happen,” Clara said determinedly, “But if you absolutely insist, I will take tonight's shift.”  
“Thanks,” Martha smiled sincerely. 

As she made her way back to her room Clara decided she might as well give Mr Smith the news immediately. He had vanished after dinner but Clara was fairly certain she would find him in his room. Clara knocked but never waited for a reply before she stormed inside which, in hindsight, was probably the best decision because John Smith was sitting casually on his bed, taking a sip from a bottle of vodka.  
“What in God's name are you doing?!” she demanded to know, raising her voice.  
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Not entering other people's rooms before they tell me to, that's for sure.”  
“No, I mean-” Clara groaned and stepped closer, snatching the liquor bottle out of his hands. “This!”  
“I confiscated it from one of the students earlier,” Mr Smith explained as if it was the most natural thing that he automatically decided to drink it as well, “I think her name was Courtney. . . Something.”  
“Courtney Woods,” Clara rolled her eyes. She should have known that girl would do something like this and even though she was glad Mr Smith had taken the alcohol from her, his behaviour was still unacceptable. She reached for the cap on the bedside table and closed the bottle.  
“What are you doing?” he asked warily, eyeing her with suspicion.  
“I'm confiscating it from you now. You can have it back when the trip is over.”  
“Or we could share?” John Smith suggested, a sly smile on his lips, “Might help you loosen up a bit. You seem quite tense.”  
“We are on duty tonight,” Clara reminded him strictly, “I will most definitely not let you watch over the kids while you're drunk and that's basically all I came to tell you. You have to check on the boys at 10, making sure they're in bed and not causing any trouble.”  
“Yes, _boss_ ,” he replied, his tone mocking her.  
Words couldn't even express how much she hated this man. The way he was sitting on his bed in his torn jumper and plaid trousers, both obviously remnants from a punk phase in the 80s, that smug expression showing off his superiority complex – Clara wanted nothing more than to smack it off his face.  
“Is there anything else?” he asked and Clara only now realized that she had been staring at him.  
“Yes,” she cleared her throat to cover up her hesitation, “If something happens, anything at all, I'm blaming it on you. Is that clear?!”  
“Crystal clear.”

Clara stormed out of the room as quickly as she had entered it and while she was heading for her own room, the vodka bottle still in her hand, she briefly wondered if she could get rid of him by giving it back to the kids and blaming it on him – but eventually she decided it wasn't worth the trouble. She just had to ignore him for the rest of the trip, however hard that would be.


	4. Chapter 4

“Get up! GET UP!”  
The Doctor groaned when he was roused from his sleep and the first thing that caught his attention wasn't the person shouting at him but a throbbing pain in his temples. He made a grumbling sound of annoyance.  
“I said _get up_!” Clara repeated.  
Finally he opened his eyes, the light blinding him instantly but he could still make out the shape of Clara Oswald. His tired brain wondered for a moment if this pesky woman had an off-switch.  
“What?” he asked as he sat up in bed.  
“Whoah, what are you doing?” immediately she took a step back, her eyes getting even bigger than usual. The Doctor only now noticed that apart from the blanket that had slipped off his chest he wasn't wearing anything.  
“I'm getting up, like you told me to. What's your problem?” he asked, now utterly annoyed with her, “Why are you even in my room?”  
“I wanted-” she stopped, looking slightly embarrassed now that she realized he was naked underneath the thin duvet and turned around, facing the wall, “Do you always sleep in the nude?”  
“It's good for your health,” he snapped at her, “Why? Are you planning to sneak into my room and look under my covers at night?”  
Clara shot back around to look at him and she seemed angry again. Apparently that was her default setting.  
“Just for the record,” Clara raised her voice at him, “I am certainly not interested in what you look like naked! In fact, you're the last person I would ever want to see naked!”  
The Doctor rolled his eyes. “Oh, good that we've cleared that up. I'm relieved now,” he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “So, why the hell are you in my room?!”  
“Breakfast is almost over. We're leaving for the city in thirty minutes!”

And suddenly the door slammed shut behind her, causing another wave of pain to shoot through his head. The Doctor had hardly gotten any sleep at night, having wrecked his sleep cycle with a late emergency and too much caffeine. And then there was the issue of sleeping in a bed that wasn't his own that he disliked a lot.  
The Doctor pulled an old, torn shirt over his head and slipped back into his plaid trousers before he grabbed his toothbrush and headed out of the room. He saw Logan emerging from the bathroom as soon as he had reached it. Apparently his son had been experiment with hair gel, the usually curly mess on his head now almost tamed.  
“Hey chap, everything alright?” the Doctor asked him in passing.  
The boy smiled and nodded.  
“Good,” he reached out and began tousling his son's hair, laughing while he did it, “Been trying to tame those curls, huh? It's no use, trust me.”  
“Dad!” Logan complained, dodging his hand but he was laughing as well.  
“We could shave it off,” the Doctor suggested jokingly, “No more problems.”  
“Only if you shave your hair, too,” Logan giggled.  
“Over my dead body! Now, go and pack your things. Miss Oswald said we're leaving in thirty minutes.”

 

* * *

 

After walking through Glasgow for several hours the bus was very quiet and even Mr Smith had fallen asleep in the seat next to her as they were heading towards Skye. Clara wondered for a moment if she should read or rummage through her bag to find her iPod when her gaze fell on Mr Smith again. Apart from this morning she hadn't talked to him all day and for a brief moment she wondered if maybe she had been a little too rude to him in the beginning. Maybe he wasn't that bad after all and Clara should just give him a chance. He did look nice when he was sleeping. That very distinct profile, the silver curls and the beginning stubble of a beard.

Clara almost wanted to slap herself when she caught herself thinking about it. He most certainly did not look nice – and he wasn't. Mr Smith was vain and obnoxious and an irresponsible parent.  
“Can you please stop staring?!” Mr Smith mumbled without opening his eyes, sounding annoyed.  
Clara opened her mouth in protest.  
“Don't deny it,” he said, shifting in his seat, “I know when I'm being stared at.”  
“Can you stop being so. . . so,” Clara paused, trying to think of a word, “So _you_?!”  
Now Mr Smith opened his eyes and frowned at her, a flicker of amusement washing over his face.  
“What? Day number two and you're already running out of insults? Oh, don't make it so easy for me to win, Miss Oswald.”  
“This isn't a contest!”  
“Yes, it is,” he argued, “And you started it. But hey, if you want this bickering to end, just say the word. Just admit that you were wrong and we can put this behind us.”  
“Never!”  
Mr Smith sank back in his seat and closed his eyes again. “Okay, fine by me. Let's fight for the next week until someone pushes the other off a cliff.”  
Clara wanted to say something back to him, determined not to let him win but right now she couldn't think of anything. This man irritated her more than anyone she had ever met but for this moment she had no other choice than to let it go. 

 

In the early evening they arrived in a small town named Glenroch not far off the coast on the Isle of Skye. Martha again took over the announcement when Clara suddenly noticed John Smith stir uncomfortably and roll his eyes next to her.  
“Excuse me, is something bothering you?” Clara asked him.  
“She's saying it wrong,” he replied drily.  
“What? Glenroch?”  
Again he cringed. “It's not Glen _rock_ , it's Glenroch.”  
And then, before saying anything else to her, he grabbed his guitar case and headed out of the bus.  
“Damn know-it-all,” she cursed under her breath before she followed after him.

The hostel was an old brick building with a nice front yard and when Clara spied past the house she could spot a football field in the back garden, a couple of swings and behind all of that a lake with a beach and a couple of small boats. Maybe if the temperature went up a bit they could all go swimming.  
The inside of the house looked just as promising: bright and clean with a couple of chairs and a large sofa around a coffee table. A friendly looking woman came to greet them immediately, told them to leave their bags for a moment and follow her on a tour through the house.  
On that floor they found not only the reception room but also the dining room and behind that a large kitchen. The woman, who had introduced herself as Mrs McDonald, led them all downstairs to a big room that prompted an “ohhhhh” from the children. Clara immediately spotted several targets for darts, a billiard table, a kicker table and a selection of board games. There was also a stereo system which Courtney unfortunately seemed to have spotted as well.  
“There is also a football field and a miniature golf area in the back yard,” Mrs McDonald explained, “If your teachers allow it, you can play music down here in the evenings. Breakfast is at 8, lunch at 12 if you're not out for the day and dinner at 7 and there are usually snack laid out in the dining room throughout the day in case anyone gets hungry. Now, shall we have a look at your rooms?”  
The teacher's rooms were all found on the first floor along with their bathrooms and showers. Martha and Danny immediately agreed that they would share a room again, which left Clara and Mr Smith to choose between three other options. Surprisingly Mr Smith didn't care and Clara ended up taking the bigger, brighter room looking out over the garden. The students' shared rooms and the corresponding bathrooms were on the second floor and the only way to sneak out at night would lead past the teachers' rooms – a fact Clara welcomed sincerely. Again the girls split up over two of the rooms while the boys took one. 

After bringing up their luggage and settling in they all headed back downstairs for dinner and Martha thanked Clara again for taking the shift of watching the kids the previous night, promising that tonight was hers and Danny's turn.  
Exhausted Clara headed back into her room after dinner and slipped into her pyjamas but soon found that she couldn't sleep, at least not yet. Travelling had always exited her too much and she couldn't wait to go out on the hiking trip the next day and explore the wonderful Scottish landscape. In the meantime she decided she could just as well spend some more time reading.  
When her watch told her that it was around midnight Clara decided to kill the lights, confident that she would sleep very soon. However when she closed her eyes and was beginning to drift off she was suddenly startled by a loud noise and she immediately sat back up in bed, wondering what it was and where it was coming from. Then Clara realized to her dismay that the noise sounded a lot like _“living after midnight”_ by Judas Priest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so, so, SO much for the comments :) I'm so happy you're enjoying the story!


	5. Chapter 5

His mind was still racing when the Doctor retreated to his room. That damned Miss Oswald just couldn't let it go and he wondered what he had done to deserve this treatment from her. Okay, yes, he had been speeding past the school. And she had also caught him drinking the confiscated vodka which had probably not been the smartest thing to do but Clara Oswald treated him like a criminal and he most certainly didn't deserve that. Normally he would probably just try to apologize and settle the matter but something about her irritated him and he couldn't quite figure out what. It also made him slightly more determined to piss her off even more.  
Grabbing his guitar he sneaked out of his room and went upstairs, knocking on the boy's bedroom before he entered.  
“Hey kids,” he greeted them, grinning, “Who's feeling like rocking this school trip?”  
Once he held up his guitar the boys cheered excitedly and the Doctor especially noticed his son's face light up.  
“But,” the Doctor said, “We have to be very, very quiet. If one of your teachers, especially Miss Oswald hears us walk downstairs, they'll probably forbid it. So we have to walk quietly, one after the other. Okay?”  
Everyone nodded, except his son.  
“Can we invite the girls, too?” Logan asked carefully.  
“Of course you can. The more, the merrier. Now come on, let's go.”

It was easier said than done, getting 20 children to be quiet when they were all excited to do something fun that their teachers probably wouldn't allow, especially not after midnight but one after the other seemed to make it through the corridor with the teachers' rooms without drawing attention to them and finally the Doctor and Logan were the last ones left and walked along the corridor together.  
Once they had arrived downstairs he looked at his son.  
“Is there a specific reason you wanted to invite the girls?” the Doctor asked him, trying to sound as casual as possible. Logan was 13 now and the Doctor had been waiting for him to show interest in a girl. And he had been dreading it as well, not really knowing what he would do if his son came to him for actual advice.  
The sad truth was that he was hopeless when it came to romantic matters and all the women he had ever been with had picked him and made the first move, not the other way around – and even so he had been quite unlucky. The Doctor was anything but a great example for Logan.  
Reluctantly his son shook his head. “No,” he replied, but not convincingly. The Doctor decided to drop the matter for now as they were approaching the basement. He didn't want to force Logan to tell him the truth and maybe he didn't even want to know it at all. Logan was a good kid, he would figure out what to do without getting into trouble.

 

“Alright, kids,” the Doctor announced excitedly as he plugged his guitar into the amp, “Let's make some noise. Any song requests?”  
“Can you play something by One Direction?” one of the girls asked immediately. A few of the other children, especially the boys, groaned.  
The Doctor frowned in confusion. “Who the fuck is One Direction?”  
Courtney Woods giggled. “Mr Smith, that's £5 in the swear jar.”  
“I'll put you in the swear jar in a moment,” he replied drily. The class laughed at his comment, “So, what's One Direction?”  
“It's a boy band,” Logan explained after a moment, “Please, Dad, don't play that.”  
“Okay, let's make it a game instead. Whoever guesses the song earns a chocolate bar. I've seen a supermarket down the street when we arrived, we'll just have to go there when your teachers aren't looking.”  
Again the class cheered and the Doctor started playing the first chords of _“living after midnight”_ by Judas Priest. He realized now that the volume might be a little too loud, but if he was completely honest he _wanted_ Miss Oswald to hear it. For some reason he wanted her attention more than anything. 

And it didn't take her long. The Doctor hadn't even finished the song when the sound suddenly died and the class broke out in booing. When he turned around he saw Clara Oswald standing behind him, holding the plug in her hand and looking stern as always. Only now he found it hard to take her seriously while she was wearing kitty pyjamas.  
“What the hell are you doing?” she asked angrily.  
She knew exactly what he was doing. She had seen him, or at least the Doctor was hoping she had.  
“Oh, please, Miss Oswald,” one of the girls begged, “Mr Smith was only giving a concert.”  
“And he was also swearing,” Courtney added, sneering in their direction.  
The Doctor used Miss Oswald's distraction and snatched the cable back from her, plugging it back into the amp and before she could react he started playing the opening riff of “Pretty Woman”. Why exactly he had picked that particular song the Doctor couldn't tell but he was hoping that she would like it.  
Clara Oswald crossed her arms in front of her chest. “If you think that's gonna change my mind about the late night noise you are so, so wrong.”  
“ _Pretty woman, give your smile to me_. . . come on, Miss Oswald, just one smile. Trust me, it doesn't hurt at all.”  
Just for a moment the Doctor thought he saw the corners of her mouth twitch but instead of smiling she bent back down and unplugged his guitar once more.

“Out!” she yelled in the direction of her students, “Out! Everyone out!”  
Reluctantly and only under protest the class got up and one after the other trudged out of the basement. When the last kid had left, Clara closed the door behind them and turned towards the Doctor, looking very, very cross.  
“Nice pyjamas!” he commented before she could even say anything else.  
For a moment she seemed a little taken aback but apparently came to the conclusion that it was too late to hide the kitties on her pyjamas. “At least I don't wear them in public.”  
In defeat the Doctor put his guitar down, leaning it against the stereo system but then he looked up to smile at her.  
“You like my style. Admit it,” he said, grinning, “I've seen you checking me out in Glasgow and on the bus.”  
Clara laughed in reply. “Oh don't be ridiculous.”  
“You like me,” the Doctor went on, suddenly feeling very bold. He took a step closer, “You're suppressing your impulses but at heart you're a rebel. I'm everything you'd like to be. You're just not brave enough.”  
She cocked an eyebrow at him. “I am _nothing_ like you. And I don't like you. You're irresponsible and above all irritating.”  
“No,” he smiled, “I think you're attracted to me and you don't want to be. That's why you insult me all the time.”  
Again Clara laughed at his comment. “I think we're past the age where boy and girl use insults to show affection.”  
“Let's find out,” the Doctor suggested and before Clara had a chance to step back he leaned forward and pressed their lips together. It lasted only seconds before she slapped him hard on the cheek.

The Doctor watched as she opened her mouth, looking furious and as if she was about to burst out into a long rant about him overstepping boundaries and being insufferable but instead not a single word came over her lips and before he could say how sorry he was about the kiss Clara had stormed out of the room, leaving the Doctor alone and confused. Had his son been watching this he would've had the perfect example for how not to approach a girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe, thank you all so much for the comments. Let's see how it goes from here, huh? ;)


	6. Chapter 6

Mr Smith was acting like nothing ever happened and it was bothering her greatly. Clara watched him over breakfast and he was talking to Danny and a few of the students, smiling and laughing at their jokes, behaving like everything was still the same.  
But it was still the same, right? It was only a kiss and he had earned a slap for it, so why should anything change? Why shouldn't he act normally? Clara couldn't say why but she knew that it was annoying her.  
“Clara, are you even listening to me?” Martha asked suddenly and in horror Clara realized that she really hadn't been listening to her friend and colleague at all.  
She turned around and faked a smile.  
“I'm sorry, I was thinking about something,” Clara replied.  
“I noticed,” Martha said, “I was just asking whether the rumours are true.”  
“Rumours?” Clara's eyed widened in shock and she swallowed hard. If one of the kids had seen them last night they would all know it by now. “What rumours?”  
“That Mr Smith gave a rock concert last night and you ended it, of course.”  
“Oh, that,” she almost sighed in relief, “Yeah, it's true. And it was past midnight so I had every right to put an end to it. We've got a long hiking trip ahead of us today and the kids need their sleep.”  
“Danny and I didn't even hear a thing. We must have been asleep already.”  
“I suppose so,” Clara replied absent-mindedly and her eyes shifted to where John Smith was sitting again. He was wearing a different kind of silly plaid trousers today as if no one could hear he was Scottish and one of those ugly shirts under a hoodie. A hoodie! How old did he think he was?  
“Was it good at least?” Martha voice came from the seat next to her again and Clara, in her head already thinking about the kiss, had almost said yes. Unexpected as it had been, John Smith, with all his flaws, his stupid outfits and his irresponsible behaviour, couldn't be called a bad kisser. She had hated it when their lips had touched and she had also liked it.  
“Clara?!”  
“I'm sorry, was what good?”  
Martha rolled her eyes. “The concert, of course. Cause if the kids liked it we could ask him to play again. At a more reasonable time of day.”  
“They loved it,” Clara replied weakly. Why was she even still thinking about the kiss? She hated John Smith and she would stop thinking about him, and she would stop looking at him. In a minute because right now he was leaning back and ruffling his own hair. He did have lovely silver curls and his hands were not bad either.

No, it was time Clara snapped out of this. He was John Smith and she hated him and she would not start to find him attractive. She would not give him the satisfaction of being right about what he had said last night. 

 

* * *

 

They had been walking for no more than 25 minutes when the first kids already groaned and asked when they would finally get to their destination. Danny Pink smiled in amusement, explaining that this hiking trip was their destination and that they would make their first rest in about half an hour. Then Clara spotted John Smith again. He still wasn't even looking at her and so she decided to get his attention, the only way she knew how.  
“You can still go back to the hostel if you don't feel up to the hike,” she said teasingly.  
Finally he looked up and granted her a smile. “And why wouldn't I feel up to a lovely walk in nature, Miss Oswald?”  
“Well,” Clara shrugged, “I don't know. You're a great deal older than us teachers. Maybe your feet are sore or your hip is hurting.”  
He snorted in reply. “Your concern is very touching but I'm fine. Thank you.”  
“Just checking,” she said and looked ahead.  
She wanted to insult him further, she wanted to find the spot where it really hurt to punish him for kissing her out of the blue. Clara considered it for a moment. John Smith was a father, so the easiest point to get to him would be through his son. Yet Logan was the perfect student.  
“Wasn't exactly nice of you to embarrass Logan like that last night,” Clara finally said, “I mean, his dad dressing like this and trying to be a rockstar, that's gotta be tough for a teenager.”  
“My son isn't ashamed of me,” Mr Smith replied but the smug smile had vanished from his face.  
Clara giggled. She had him now. “How would you know? Doesn't look like shame is something you're too familiar with.”

Then suddenly Clara cried out in pain and before she knew what was happening her body hit the ground. Her ankle was burning like fire and when she looked behind her she spotted the root she had stumbled over. Carefully she lifted herself up into a sitting position, brushing the dirt off her hands.  
“Are you alright?” John Smith asked her, his voice suddenly very gentle.  
He offered Clara a hand to help her back up but she refused. When she tried to get back on her feet on her own, however, she realized it was no use. Her ankle just wouldn't carry her weight and she winced as she sat back down.  
“Let me have a look,” he said and knelt down next to her. When he tried to reach for her foot Clara pulled it away.  
“Clara, is everything okay?” Martha came running towards her, “Did you hurt yourself?”  
“No, I'm fine,” she protested but when John Smith finally did grab her ankle she winced again. This time she didn't put up a fight as he examined it.  
“Don't worry, nothing's broken. You only sprained it,” John Smith explained, “I'll get you back to the hostel. There you can put some ice on it and it'll be as good as new in a few days.”  
“Thanks but I can walk back on my own,” Clara said grumpily but as she tried to get up once more she again realized that she couldn't. Not without help.  
“Miss Oswald, I am sincerely offering you my help here so you can either swallow your ridiculous pride for a moment and accept it or crawl back on all fours,” he said angrily.  
“Go to hell!” Clara spat back at him but before she could even protest John Smith had hooked his arms around her and lifted her up, “Hey! Put me down! _NOW!_ ”  
“Not a chance,” he replied, that silly smile now back on his lips as he started walking back into the direction of the hostel.  
“I swear I will kick your ass once you've put me down!”  
“Oh?” he asked in amusement, “And which foot are you gonna use for that? Look at it this way: the less you struggle, the faster we'll be home.”  
Clara only groaned as she reluctantly wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed him to carry her back home, ignoring the warm, tingling sensation where his hands touched her. She liked it but she didn't want to like it and Clara couldn't wait to get as far away from him as soon as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so, so much for the sweet, supportive comments :) I'm glad you all love this story so much and I'm trying to make tomorrow's chapter a little longer but the past few days I've been so caught up in boring adult life stuff.


	7. Chapter 7

“Just for the record,” Mr Smith said as he put her down by the door, “You're a lot heavier than you look.”  
“Thanks,” Clara hissed, the sarcasm dripping from her voice. When resting her ankle didn't hurt as much anymore as it had when she had first twisted it but she still couldn't put her whole weight on it.  
“Come on,” he held out his arm for her, “I'll help you to your room.”  
“I can manage the rest on my own.”  
John Smith rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure, hobble all the way and hurt your foot a little more. See if I care.”  
Clara bit down on her lip, knowing that he was right but admitting that was almost as painful as her ankle. Finally she decided to swallow at least a part of her pride and reached out to take his hand.  
Together they made their way to her room and Clara was relieved when she could finally sit down on her bed. The pain subsided a little when she was able to put up her feet and she was about to lie back and rest when she noticed that Mr Smith was still standing next to her bed. She turned her head and looked up at him.  
“Well, thanks for your help,” she said brusquely, “But I think I can manage on my own now.”  
“You should put some ice on it,” he suggested, pointing at her feet, “I'll go and see if there's some in the kitchen.”  
“That really isn't necessary,” Clara insisted immediately, hoping to get rid of him as quickly as possible, “You can stop being nice now. I'm good.”  
Mr Smith groaned. “How about instead you stop being such a bitch?!”  
She opened her mouth to protest but was interrupted.  
“I'll go into the kitchen and get ice. Don't move!”

Clara wanted to leave her room just to spite him but the throbbing in her ankle as soon as she moved it reminded her that it was probably a stupid idea. John Smith was a doctor, he should know what he was doing – but that didn't mean she had to like it. She still hated him, hated everything about him. The way he dressed and moved and spoke and breathed annoyed the living hell out of her. And above all she hated the fact that she was beginning to feel somehow drawn to him, enjoying the bickering and the insults. What was wrong with her?  
A short while later Mr Smith returned to her room, knocking carefully and waiting for her to tell him to enter. When Clara looked up she spotted two ice packs, towels and a plate filled with cookies.  
“They had shortbread laid out in the dining room. I thought you might like some,” he explained as he placed the plate on her bedside table.  
Resisting the urge to tell him to go to hell Clara eventually nodded and thanked him, hoping he hadn't poisoned the biscuits on his way back. She watched him as he knelt down next to her bed, again taking her foot in his hands and, once he had taken off her shoe, wrapping it in towels and ice packs. His touch was so gentle that for a moment it made her forget how much they were constantly fighting.  
“Mr Smith,” she began carefully, “Why are you being nice to me?”  
“Please, call me John. Or the Doctor,” he granted her a shy smile.  
“No,” she replied warily. “Why _the Doctor_? Is that your kink? Do you get off on people call you that?”  
He groaned. “It's just a nickname, okay?” he said defensively, “Everyone calls me that. They have even before med school.”  
Clara laughed. “Don't tell me you were that guy in school always getting As because he wanted to become a doctor since pre-school just cause he wants to help other people so, so much?” she asked in a mocking tone, flashing a smile at him.  
John Smith, the Doctor, looked a little hurt and suddenly teasing him didn't feel so good anymore.  
“I was, actually,” he said, “Got me as far as the London Bridge Hospital. I almost made it to senior consultant.”  
“A career man,” Clara raised her eyebrows, “Why almost?”  
“Okay,” he replied abruptly and suddenly rose to his feet. When Clara looked down at her feet she saw that he had wrapped the ice packs tightly around her ankle and secured everything with a bandage. “Try not to move around too much today. I think you'll be able to use your foot again tomorrow – moderately. But no hiking trips until you can walk on even ground without pain. You sprained your ligaments so you'll be prone to twist the ankle again for some time.”

Clara watched him for a moment, cocking her eyebrows at him.  
“Who's going to watch the kids when they go hiking?” she asked him.  
The Doctor – why was she referring to him like that in her head now? - shrugged. “I will. Martha and Danny will. Don't worry, they'll be fine.”  
“Fine? Under the care of an irresponsible idiot like you who drinks when he's supposed to be on duty and goads the kids into leaving their beds after midnight for an improvised rock concert?”  
“In case you haven't noticed,” the Doctor raised his voice, “This irresponsible idiot just carried you all the way back here and bandaged your foot, which, by the way, was something I would like to call instant karma. This is a class trip, not a Nazi camp. It's supposed to be fun for both students and teachers and in case this little piece of information slipped your mind: I managed to raise my son for the last 13 years and I have heard nothing but praise about what a nice, young lad he is, so before you judge me and my _irresponsible parenting_ , consider _that_ for a moment.”  
Clara snorted, completely ignoring his angry rant. “Yeah, well, maybe. But I am pretty sure his mother helped. . . _a lot_!”  
“His mother didn't give a shit about him,” he yelled angrily and for the first time Clara jerked back at the power of his anger, “It wasn't planned and as soon as Logan was out of her she was off to see the world and I did everything, _everything_ I could to make sure Logan never wanted for anything! I gave up my career, I gave up everything I ever wanted to raise him because someone had to stick up for what we had done! Of course, Logan adored her, she was his mum and she brought him exotic presents from here and there and he loved her but you know what? She was a lousy mother and I hate her and I am glad she is dead!”

The door slammed shut behind him and Clara flinched at the noise. At first she wanted to run after him, only now realizing how wrong she had been about him, that maybe he wasn't a bad parent after all but her current predicament prevented it.  
Clara felt utterly sorry and she wanted to apologize but if the Doctor didn't come back to her room she was afraid it would have to wait until tomorrow.

 

Martha brought her dinner, a large plate of fish & chips, and normally Clara would have enjoyed that very much but right now she had no appetite at all.  
“What did you say to Mr Smith now?” her friend and colleague asked as she sat down on her bed, holding the food under her chin.  
Clara pushed the plate away. “I don't want to talk about it.”  
“Well, he seems grumpy and so do you. So tell me what happened.”  
With a sigh Clara threw her duvet aside and sat up in bed next to Martha.  
“I may or may not have said that Logan's mother is responsible for how well the boy turned out,” she admitted.  
Martha raised her eyebrows. “You didn't know Logan's mother is dead, did you?”  
“I do now,” she said, “But that wasn't why he was angry. Apparently he's been raising Logan on his own the entire time cause she was a lousy mother.”  
“And you called him an irresponsible parent.”  
“I'm so sorry,” Clara admitted sincerely, “I want to apologize to him. I've been acting like a total bitch and I don't even know why.”  
“Well, your apology will be just as sincere tomorrow as it is today. You need to rest your ankle and you probably should stay here tomorrow.”  
“But the trip to Dunvegan Castle-”  
“We can manage the kids and if Courtney acts up we'll ask if the castle has a dungeon,” Martha laughed.  
Clara forced a smile. “Okay. I guess you're right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the sweet comments :)


	8. Chapter 8

The Doctor had been working on the motor for half an hour and by now his clothes were thoroughly soaked from the rain and he still was no closer to figuring out why the bloody bus wouldn't start. If he could determine the problem the bus company could already bring the spare part that was needed but this was proving to be utterly fruitless. His mood was deteriorating more and more with every passing minute. He was wet and cold and annoyed and his mind kept calling up the image of Clara Oswald which didn't really aid to improving his current temper. He should have just dropped her in the lake instead of helping her injured ankle. One thing was for sure: he was done playing nice with her.  
“Why don't you just call auto club or the bus company?” as if on cue Clara Oswald had appeared next to him. She had a large rain coat wrapped around her body and the hood was pulled almost over her entire face, “You'll catch a cold out here.”  
“Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?”  
“I'm sorry, okay?” she said desperately, “You were right, I've been acting like a bitch and want to apologize for that. I was wrong about you and I'm sorry.”  
The Doctor threw the hood of the motor shut and turned towards Clara, glaring at her. “No!”  
“Excuse me?”  
“No,” the Doctor repeated, “I won't accept your apology cause I know you're only saying this because I told you my sob story and you're feeling sorry for me. So, no. I don't want your pity, I won't accept your apology and you can go to hell.”  
The Doctor turned around and walked towards the entrance of the hostel, only vaguely aware that Clara was following after him, still limping a little.  
“I wanted to apologize because I made a mistake,” Clara said angrily as she struggled to follow him inside, “Not because I feel sorry for you because, guess what, I don't!”

When he had reached his room he turned around to Clara once more.  
“Was that all?”  
“You're terrible!” Clara yelled at him, stepping into his room without asking and closing the door behind her so the children wouldn't be able to hear them arguing, “I was wrong, I apologized, I'm making an honest effort and seriously, your sob story doesn't interest me one bit. You're not the only person who's had it tough. Boohooo, Logan's mother was a bitch, boohooo, you couldn't live your dream. You made a kid and you decided to take care of him – that's not a noble gesture, that's what you should expect! I see nothing I should be pitying you for! I only said I was sorry because I assumed you were a bad parent and that obviously isn't true!”  
The Doctor shifted his weight from one foot to the other in discomfort. He was tired, so tired of listening to her and his brain was trying to find a way to make her shut up. The way they were constantly fighting about utterly silly things suddenly seemed so ridiculous to him he wanted to burst into laughter.  
“About the other things, the drinking, the staying up late, the terrible taste in clothing – I stand by what I said and I still don't like you.”  
The Doctor snorted. “Are you done now?”  
Clara gawked at him. “Am I. . .,” she groaned, “God, you're the most infuriating person that I have ever met in my entire life and-”  
He didn't give her a chance to finish. Instead he stepped closer, placed his hands on her hips and pulled her towards him, pressing their lips together in another kiss simply because he wanted to and he didn't even really understand why. Probably because it was the only way to keep her from talking.  
The Doctor half expected her to pull away and slap him again but that didn't happen. Instead Clara opened her mouth to him, letting his tongue inside. They kissed each other mercilessly, forcefully, teeth clattering, biting, continuing the fight they had started only on a much more physical and pleasant level. He turned them both around, pushing Clara against the nearest wall and pinned her to it with the weight of his body. She buried her hands in his hair, pulling roughly at it in an attempt to keep him exactly where he was. His clothes were still wet from the rain and he was cold and the heat of her body was a pleasant sensation on his skin as he rubbed his body against hers.  
Finally he pulled away from her, gasping for air only to realize that she was panting as well. Her face had lost some of the anger and was now flushed with excitement.  
“You're wrong,” the Doctor managed to say, “ _You_ are the most infuriating person _I_ have ever met.”  
“Oh, shut up,” she said breathlessly and hooked her finger into the collar of his shirt, pulling him back down to meet her lips again to continue where they had left off.  
The Doctor was running his hands down her body, stopping at her hips to hold them steady as he was grinding against them, the friction of it causing his blood to rush south. It had been a while since he had been with a woman, he was easy game and Clara, her bitchiness and infuriating nature aside, was hot. He knew that it was a potentially bad idea to fuck his son's teacher but right now there was nothing he wanted more than to give it to her so hard she wanted to scream.  
When they parted lips again to catch their breath the Doctor looked her in the eyes and he could see that she wanted it, too.  
“What if someone walks in?” she asked carefully.  
The Doctor let her go for a moment to walk back to the door, turning the key in the lock before he opened the zip of his wet hoodie, discarding it along with his shirt. He noticed the way Clara looked at him, the arousal flaring up in her eyes when she spotted his bare chest.  
“You work out?” she bit down on her lip to hide her smile but the Doctor could tell that she definitely liked what she saw. He tried very hard not to feel proud about the fact that a woman about half his age desired him and before he could stop himself he was back on top of her, pressing her against the wall and kissing her to keep her from talking. His hands wandered under her skirt, teasing her through the fabric of her already damp knickers and Clara moaned into his mouth, the sound she was making so carnal, so wantonly it made his cock twitch in anticipation. In one swift movement he pulled her knickers down and, shaking her foot carefully, she brushed them off for good before reaching out to open his belt, their lips never leaving each other.  
Once she had freed his erection Clara pulled away from him and looked down, smiling.  
“Huh,” she uttered, grinning at him, “Guess I was wrong about one other thing, too.”  
The Doctor was hard already and growing harder as her hand wrapped around his cock, squeezing and tugging and brushing her finger over the tip. He moaned at the foreign sensation of a hand that wasn't his own, fingers that were both rough and gentle at the same time.  
He lifted her up, holding her steady against the wall as she wrapped her legs around his hips. Then finally he slid inside of her, the hot, wet sensation of her around him almost feeling too good to be true and the Doctor had to suppress a moan as he began to move. They had to be quiet. Even though the door was locked the children could still hear them.  
Slowly he was beginning to pick up pace, opening his eyes again to look at Clara. Her brows were furrowed in concentration or arousal or both, her eyes closed serenely. He decided then and there that he would wipe that look off her face.  
He sped up his movements, plunging a little harder and deeper inside of her, causing Clara to gasp beneath him.  
“Good?” he asked with a wicked grin.  
“Fuck, yeah,” she breathed in reply, pulling her legs more tightly around him and he bent down to kiss her again.  
The Doctor lowered a hand to where they were joined and traced her clit with his finger to the rhythm of his thrusts. Suddenly he cried out in pain as Clara bit down on his lip and when he looked at her he found her laughing.  
“Ohhhh,” he growled, “You just wait.”  
The Doctor lifted her up a little before letting Clara sink down on his cock again, changing the angle as he thrust up hard and made her moan loudly. He raised his hand to her face, covering her mouth as he kept plunging into her, all senses slowly beginning to leave him as he was closing in on his orgasm.  
Clara was meeting his movements, pushing her hips in his direction and whimpering against his hand. He buried himself deeper inside of her, the tightness of her feeling better with every thrust and each time he wanted to go deeper and faster. From her ragged breathing the Doctor could tell that Clara was beginning to derail underneath him and then he felt her muscles clench tightly around him and he rocked harder into her, spilling himself only moments later as he came and he swallowed the moan at the back of his throat as best as he could. 

Carefully the Doctor sat her back down on the ground, still breathing heavily as he pulled his pants and trousers up. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so carefree and relaxed.  
“As far as our arguments go I'd say this was a tie,” the Doctor said, laughing lightly.  
Clara granted him a smile as she picked her knickers off the floor but when she looked back at him her face was once again stern.  
“Just so we're clear – I still hate you,” Clara reminded him before she closed the door behind her.  
After taking a long, deep breath the Doctor decided that now was probably time to call the bus company and inform them about the broken vehicle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the comments, guys :)


	9. Chapter 9

After checking her reflection in the bathroom mirror a couple of times to make sure it wasn't too obvious what she had been doing Clara headed downstairs to the dining room where all of the students and the rest of the teachers were waiting. Ernie, their bus driver, was there as well and looking quite unhappy.  
“We've spoken to the bus company and unfortunately they can't send a replacement until the early evening,” Martha announced to the disappointed students, “We will have to postpone the trip to the castle until tomorrow. I suggest you all get your raincoats and we go for another hiking trip.”  
The children were groaning and booing when suddenly the Doctor rose from his seat.  
“Can I make a different suggestion?” he asked carefully and Clara watched the kids and realized to her dismay how their faces lit up. They liked him. They all admired him.  
“Sure,” Martha agreed and sat back down.  
The Doctor cleared his throat. “The weather is, excuse me, Courtney, shit! Do any of you feel like going on a hiking trip when it's raining cats and dogs like this?”  
They shook their heads.  
“Okay, then I suggest we just stay here,” he paused and the children's disappointment was audible but the Doctor wasn't yet finished, “We are going to have a tournament. Each room is a group and the one that wins will get to stay up an hour later and they'll be provided with sweets and scary bedtime stories.”  
Clara couldn't help but smile as the excitement spread over the students. The Doctor might not have been a conventional parent but he certainly knew how to keep them all entertained and this time she didn't really feel like protesting his suggestion. Mainly because she couldn't think of an alternative.

“What kind of tournament?” Courtney wanted to know.  
The Doctor shrugged. “We have kicker, we have billiards, we have several board games and the rain is supposed to stop in the afternoon so we can have a boat race as well and play miniature golf. And to make it a little more complicated for you – your teachers and I are going to form a fourth group that you will have to defeat. Any questions or protests?”  
Suddenly the Doctor's eyes were on Clara as if he was expecting her to speak up against him but she said nothing at all. 

When no one protested they all went downstairs into the basement together. The Doctor had written a list including all four teams and the different games they were going to play against each other and while he and Danny went straight for the kicker table to compete against the boys' room, Clara settled for a game of Ludo against Courtney and Melina, a girl from the other room, the rest of the girls rolled out the Twister mat and Martha kept an eye out so no one could even attempt to cheat.  
The time passed quickly and when they headed to lunch Courtney's room, unfortunately, was on top of the leader board but Clara was confident that they would all behave even if they were allowed to stay up past their bedtime. For some weird reason the Doctor's methods worked and the children were all tame and friendly with each other, even the worst of them.  
“So, when are you going to scold me for allowing them to stay up late?” the Doctor, who had suddenly appeared next to her as she was making her way to the dining room, asked.  
Clara smiled at him. “Not at all.”  
“Really?” he seemed surprised.  
“No, I think it was a great idea. The kids are loving it.”  
When she looked at him Clara noticed the big grin on the Doctor's face.  
“Don't look so smug,” she told him, “If the kids get nightmares from your bedtime horror stories I _will_ hold you responsible for that.”  
“Responsibility accepted,” he smiled and headed off to the dining room. 

 

* * *

 

Even though Clara gave her best to beat Courtney's team at miniature golf the teachers only ended up second and when the Doctor returned from the shop around the corner with a lot more sweets than she had anticipated he announced that having only one team stay up late wouldn't be fair and asked all of them to come back into the basement to listen to his horror stories at 10.  
Even though Clara had been glad to evade her duty of watching the children for the night, when she was lying in bed with her book she soon realized that she was growing bored. Since everyone had already seen her kitty pyjamas she headed downstairs as she was and sneaked inside the barely lit room.  
“The statues on the terrace behind them had _moved_. There was no doubt about it this time. The angel that had been weeping was now staring up at. . . _Miss Oswald_ ,” the Doctor said in surprise when he looked up and noticed her.  
“Don't mind me,” Clara whispered and sat down in the back, leaving the Doctor to continue his story.  
Now that her theory about him being a bad parent had proven to be wrong Clara found it a little easier to admit to other things as well. He was good with children, really good, maybe even better than her – or at least they all liked him more than her. She had never seen her class so quiet and focused on one thing, not even when they had watched Harry Potter before the holidays. And then there was the matter of his voice which Clara so far hadn't realized was beautiful and calming. She could listen to him talk for hours.  
“Alright, kids,” the Doctor said after finishing another story, “I am afraid the hour is over and I'm not so keen to get into trouble with your teacher again.”  
“Ohhhh, please,” the children begged, “Just one more.”  
“I really can't,” he smiled apologetically.  
“You can tell another if you like,” Clara suggested carefully, trying not to show how much she had enjoyed his stories as well.  
Suddenly the Doctor looked a little uncomfortable. “I, erm,” he hesitated, “I don't actually know more. Sorry. But I could ask Mr Pink to give you some maths equations? How's that for some late night horror?”  
That convinced the children to go to bed instead of staying up further and after making sure everything was quiet the Doctor and Clara went back downstairs to the teachers' rooms together.  
“So, were you impressed with my stories?” the Doctor asked and Clara was having a hard time placing the tone of his voice.  
She frowned slightly. “I think it would take a little bit more to impress me,” she replied, “But it wasn't a bad start.”  
Clara looked at him for a moment but he had his eyed fixed on his feet as he walked. He seemed almost a little shy. But it couldn't be. This was the Doctor. Clara doubted he even knew what the word “shy” meant.  
“You weren't _trying_ to impress me, were you?” Clara found herself asking.  
Finally he looked at her, seemingly confused. “And why would I wanna do that?”  
“I, erm, I don't know. Maybe because of what happened this morning.”  
“Yeah, about that,” the Doctor paused, “Logan can't know.”  
She laughed. “Well, I wasn't going to tell him. Don't worry.”  
They came to a halt in front of his room and for a moment stood there in awkward silence.  
“Would you. . .,” the Doctor hesitated, “. . . like to come in?”  
He looked up at her, his voice and gaze almost hopeful and Clara found herself at a loss. For a moment she had almost said yes immediately, thinking about how good it had been this morning and how she wouldn't mind repeating that. But this was the Doctor asking her and she didn't even like him.  
“No,” Clara said eventually, shaking her head, “I shouldn't. We shouldn't. What happened this morning was an accident.”  
The Doctor nodded and suddenly his entire posture changed. “Okay. I was only asking out of politeness anyway.”  
And then the door to his room closed in her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe thank you all very much for the comments :D
> 
> Oh, and the creepy story the Doctor is telling the children is from the Time Lord Fairy Tales book.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day passed very slowly. Clara had decided not to accompany the class on their trip to the castle, feeling that she should still rest her ankle even though it was better already. In retrospect she regretted the decision and when her boredom was too overwhelming to even read her book she decided to take a nap.  
Clara was woken in the evening and knew that she had made a mistake not setting an alarm. It was already dinner time and when she emerged from her room she immediately ran into Martha.  
“Hey, how was the trip?” she asked.  
“It was good,” Martha confirmed with a smile, “No need to lock Courtney up in a dungeon. Surprisingly. But she did try to buy liquor from the supermarket we passed. Luckily they wouldn't trust her when she told them she was 18.”  
Clara groaned. “She already brought a bottle but the Doctor confiscated it on the first day.”  
“The Doctor?” her colleague raised a eyebrow, “Since when are you calling him by his nickname? I thought you hated each other.”  
“Yeah, well,” Clara hesitated, “I apologized and after a bit of a. . . quarrel. . . he accepted it.”  
“Good,” Martha concluded, “Cause he is really nice.”  
“I wouldn't go as far as to say that.”

They had pasta for dinner and Clara ate her portion hungrily, having slept through lunch and tea time and the children seemed starved as well after today's excursion. However when Clara assumed they were tired, she was so, so wrong. After having eaten they all darted off into different directions. Some went downstairs to the basement to play games, others retreated to their rooms.  
“Some of the kids want to play football. We thought a girl team against a boy team. Want to come?” Danny, who had appeared next to their seats, asked Martha.  
“Sure,” she replied and then turned towards Clara, “Wanna come, too?”  
“And sit on the sideline?” she raised her eyebrows, “Nah, you go. I have a book to finish.”  
“Alright, see you later then,” Martha said, “And don't worry about the kids. Danny and I are gonna take the watch tonight.”

As Clara made her way back to her room she was soon joined by the Doctor, who seemed happy after the trip to the castle.  
“Hey, how's the ankle?” he asked her.  
“Better,” she replied sincerely, “Not yet ready for a game of football but enough for a walk, I guess.”  
“That's good.”  
“Thank you, by the way,” Clara added, only now realizing that she hadn't even remotely thanked him for helping her back to the hostel and bandaging her foot, “I haven't really said that yet, have I?”  
He chuckled in response. “Nope. You were busy accusing me of being a lousy parent.”  
“Sorry,” she repeated, “I really-”  
Suddenly they were interrupted by shouting and cheering coming from upstairs and Clara raised her head.  
“What is _that_?” she asked.  
“I don't know, let's have a look at what the kids are up to,” the Doctor suggested and when they had walked upstairs they soon realized that it was coming from the room that held the more quiet and reasonable girls so Clara was surprised to hear so much racket coming from there.  
She opened the door without knocking to surprise the students at whatever they were doing and the Doctor and Clara walked in just in time to watch Logan kiss Melina on the lips while the rest of the girls cheered and the two other boys present covered their faces in disgust. Once the children realized that they had been spotted they jumped apart immediately and when Clara looked at the Doctor she noticed that he seemed even more shocked than the children caught in the act.  
“Sorry,” Clara mumbled in the direction of the kids, not really knowing what else to say until she remembered that she was their teacher and supposed to keep them from doing what they shouldn't, “Boys! Back to your own room! Now!”  
They quickly hurried out of the room and Clara couldn't help but notice how Logan and his father both avoided looking at each other. The Doctor still seemed in shock over what he had witnessed and so Clara gently took his arm and led him back downstairs to their own corridor.  
“Are you okay?” she asked him carefully when he still hadn't said anything by the time they had reached his room.  
“Logan kissed a girl,” the Doctor stammered and now slowly seemed to wake up from his trance. The confusion was replaced by panic. “Logan kissed a girl!”  
“I know, I've seen it, too,” Clara said casually, “But that's okay. He's 13 and Melina is a sweet girl.”  
“He's _13_!” the Doctor repeated, “What am I supposed to do now?”  
She was a little taken aback by his question, assuming that he would know what to do. Clara hadn't expected him to panic about what they had just seen.  
“Clara, what do I do?” he asked frantically, “Do I forbid it? Do I give him the talk about the birds and the bees? Should I tell him to invite the girl over? What should I do? I knew this day would come but I wasn't prepared! My son just got his first kiss!”  
Clara couldn't help but laugh about his outburst. “Doctor, above all, stop panicking! It was only a kiss!”  
“What if he comes to me for advice? I don't know a thing about love or girls!”  
“Well, you know _a few_ things,” she paused, frowning, “But I wouldn't necessarily tell him those just yet.”  
“This Melina,” the Doctor began, “She's a nice girl, right? She doesn't drink or do drugs or-”  
“Doctor,” Clara interrupted him, “These kids are 13. None of them are hooked on heroin yet and none of them have tattoos. Don't worry. They were only experimenting. I got my first kiss on a class trip, too, that's completely normal.”  
“I was 19,” he admitted, staring blankly at her.  
Clara frowned at him. “What? 19? Seriously?”  
“But what do I do now? I've seen him kiss this girl and Logan knows I've seen it. Do I talk to him about it? Do I act like nothing ever happened? Oh, why can't he still be five years old? Everything was easier when he was five.”  
Clara rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, dragging him into her room. Once inside she produced the confiscated vodka bottle from her wardrobe and handed it to him.  
“Here,” she told him, “Drink!”  
Reluctantly, as if to judge whether she was testing him, he took the bottle from her and after the Doctor had apparently determined that Clara was being sincere in her offer he opened the bottle and took a large sip.  
“Better now?” she asked him, cocking her eyebrows.  
He seemed to consider his answer for a moment and, after taking another gulp from the bottle, he screwed the cap back on and finally nodded before he sank down on her bed.

“I really wasn't prepared for this,” the Doctor admitted once more.  
With a sigh Clara sat down next to him, placing her hand on his thigh in a comforting gesture. “You'll figure out what to do, don't worry. Just tell Logan you're sorry that you walked in on it and tell him and if he wants to talk about it he can come to you. Trust me, eventually he will.”  
“I guess you're right,” he replied absent-mindedly but after a moment he began smiling, “My son just got his first kiss.”  
Clara laughed. “Ah, there comes the pride. Been waiting for that.”  
He turned to look at her. “Is it wrong to be proud of that? I mean, Melina is a pretty girl and you said yourself that she's nice – so that's good for Logan, right?”  
She smiled at him reassuringly and nodded. “Yeah, it's good for Logan. Now that I come to think of it, I think they've liked each other for a while. They've done some group projects together in my class when they were allowed to select a partner.”  
“I guess it _is_ time for the talk about the birds and the bees then.”  
“Don't worry about it too much. They had that all in school already, they know how it works. And I don't think they'll do much more than hand holding and kissing for a while. You've still got some time,” Clara told him reassuringly.  
Suddenly the Doctor frowned at her, giving her a distrustful look. “You seem awfully nice all of a sudden.”  
“Oh, excuse me, I forgot to switch on the bitch mode,” she said sarcastically, “I'm gonna do that right now.”  
The Doctor smiled at her. “No,” he said and reached out to cup her face in his hand, “Don't. I quite like you when you're like this.”  
And before Clara could protest the Doctor leaned forward and brushed their lips together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments :)


	11. Chapter 11

The Doctor felt her nails dig into the flesh of his back as she came and he muffled her whimpering with his hand as best as he could while trying to avoid making too much noise himself. He bit down on his lip as he plunged deeper inside of her when his own orgasm came crushing over him like a wave and his movements ceased as he spilled himself.  
With a quiet groan he pulled out and sank into the pillows next to Clara, his breathing ragged and his mind utterly blank and clear.  
“I'm starting to reconsider my aversion,” Clara said, giggling as she let her hand wander across his chest.  
The Doctor turned his head to look at Clara, her face still flushed with arousal and her hair a complete mess. But he had to admit that she looked quite beautiful this way.  
“I should hope so,” he replied and before he could think better of it he leaned closer and kissed her again.  
All he had wanted was to accompany his son's class on this school trip so it could take place and now he was lying in bed with Logan's English teacher. If his son ever found out. . .  
When their lips parted Clara was still giggling. “Well, I never said I _liked_ you. You're going to have to do better than this.”  
The Doctor raised his eyebrows. “ _Better than this?_ I think you're already enjoying your extracurricular activities quite a lot, Miss Oswald.”  
She grinned at him, biting her lip. “Yeah, maybe I do.”

The Doctor sighed as he rested his head back against the pillows again.  
“I kinda feel like having a smoke right now,” he said, waiting for her to scold him for even thinking about smoking in the vicinity of the children.  
“You smoke?” Clara asked to his surprise.  
“Quit when Logan was born. Smoked my last cigarette after they told me both mother and child were healthy,” the Doctor couldn't help but laugh, “Still, right now I feel like it.”  
He felt Clara shrug next to him. “I think I've seen a cigarette machine when we arrived. It's just down the street.”  
The Doctor turned around once more, eyeing her suspiciously. “Are you encouraging me to do this?”  
“Maybe,” she giggled, “I mean, this is a school trip. You're supposed to cause a bit of trouble on a school trip.”  
“I am pretty sure that goes for the children, not their teachers.”  
“It's past 10 – the children should all be in bed.”  
The Doctor laughed. “Oh, Clara Oswald, what have I made of you?,” he said, pulling her closer for another kiss, “Not scolding me for letting the children stay up late, encouraging me to smoke, having sex with your student's father. I'm a bad influence for you.”  
“Only as long as the children aren't watching,” Clara reminded him, “So, wanna go out for a smoke or not?”

 

They got dressed in a hurry but not without watching each other intently as they did. The Doctor had no idea where this thing with Clara was headed. They hadn't really gotten along so far, she was his son's teacher, he was a lot older and then there was the issue with Logan. But he was beginning to enjoy being around her and they still had half the class trip left to get to know each other.  
Quietly they sneaked out of the room onto the silent corridor and when the Doctor held his ear to Danny's and Martha's room he could hear them talk. He nodded into the direction of the exit and they both darted outside as quickly and quietly as they could.  
They didn't say much as they made their way down the street and the silence was beginning to bother him a little, maybe because it gave Clara time to think and the Doctor was scared she might start to consider what they had done another mistake when he thought it was anything but.  
“So, how do you like Skye?” he asked after a moment.  
Clara shrugged. “I haven't really seen much of it. But what I did see was beautiful. Peaceful, I guess.”  
“Well, I'm sure you can see a bit more if your ankle is better.”  
Clara nodded but didn't answer. When they had reached the cigarette machine the Doctor stuck a few coins in and retrieved the package from it, immediately opening it.  
“Can I have one, too?” Clara asked and the Doctor's eyes widened.  
“Since when do _you_ smoke?”  
“I don't,” she replied immediately, shuffling her feet nervously, “Well, I've tried as a teenager like everyone else.”  
The Doctor shrugged and wordlessly handed her one of the cigarettes before offering her fire as well. As soon as the cigarette was lit and Clara took a breath she coughed the smoke back out, almost choking on the stinging sensation.  
“Whoah,” she said, coughing again, “Now I remember why I only tried once.”  
She handed him the cigarette back and the Doctor took a long drag before sitting down on a large stone next to the machine. Slowly he exhaled the smoke.  
“So,” Clara said, taking a seat next to him.  
“So,” he repeated and for a moment the awkward silence fell again. 

“You told me Logan's mother died,” Clara began but then stopped, obviously changing her mind about asking, “Nevermind.”  
“Nevermind?” the Doctor frowned at her.  
She let out a sigh. “I was considering asking you about her but then I decided not to cause you might not want to talk about it and we don't even like each other, well, not really. I thought it might be too personal.”  
“We had sex twice so I'm guessing we already got personal,” he said, “I don't mind talking about her. What do you want to know?”  
Clara waited for a moment before she spoke.  
“You said you were glad that she was dead, that she was a lousy mother. It's just rare to hear a widower talk badly about his late wife.”  
The Doctor took a deep breath. “She didn't want Logan, not really. We weren't married for that long when she got pregnant and she agreed to having the baby if I helped out. I said yes, of course. Even though it wasn't planned I was happy. I even quit my job at the hospital and opened a private practice, something that I had never wanted but for Logan I didn't even think twice about it. My wife wasn't ready to sacrifice her career however. She was off as soon as she could, travelling on business all over the world, leaving me to raise Logan almost completely on my own. She came home, yes, every other weekend, brought him nice presents, took him to the playground or the cinema or wherever he wanted to go. Logan absolutely adored her. Then I found out she was having an affair and we both agreed that we'd be better off separated. Then she decided she wanted full custody.”  
“What?” Clara asked, interrupting him.  
“Yes, that was my reaction, too. She didn't even have a permanent residence, she hardly knew Logan at all. I told her I wouldn't allow her to take my son from me, take him out of his environment, away from his friends. We both hired lawyers, without Logan knowing about any of it, of course. The divorce, yes, but not the custody battle. It was nasty and she was building a really good case about how a mother should never be separated from her child.”  
“What happened then?”  
“A truck hit her car on her way back from her lawyer,” the Doctor explained and took another drag from his cigarette, “I can't say I was sorry for long.”  
“Still, that's terrible for Logan. I'm guessing you never told him about any of that?”  
The Doctor snorted. “Of course not and I never will. Despite everything, she was his mother and in her own way she was good to him. He loved her. It would be very wrong to take that away from him. He's struggling to deal with her death as it is.”  
Suddenly he felt Clara's hand on his own and he turned his head to look at her. In the light of the street lamp he saw her smiling.  
“I was wrong again. You're not a good father,” she paused and the Doctor was about to frown at her once more, “You're a _great_ one.”  
He smiled back, but weakly. “Logan can't ever find out about what we're doing. He's not ready for me to be with someone else. He could get the wrong idea.”  
“How do you know?” Clara asked him.  
“There was someone. She was selling pharmaceuticals, that's how we met. While the fight over custody was still on. Logan didn't take it so well and then his mother died, so I decided to devote myself to him for the time being. He's the most important person in my life and right now he needs me more than I need a woman.”  
“That's very noble of you,” she commented, “But you do realize that Logan has to grow up at some point? You can't protect him forever.”  
“I know,” he replied, throwing the finished cigarette on the ground and squashing it with his boot, “But right now I still can.”

The Doctor rose from his sitting position and held out his hand for Clara to take before dragging her up as well. She fell against his chest and the Doctor immediately pressed their lips together for another kiss, thinking that maybe he was wrong and he needed a woman in his life more than he was willing to admit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe thank you all so much for the comments :) I'm so glad you're enjoying this story!


	12. Chapter 12

Clara couldn't tell how long they had been standing beneath the street lamp, kissing each other until they ran out of breath like two lovesick puppies until she started to shiver in the cool night air. When they finally parted lips to catch their breath the Doctor placed his hands over her arms.  
“Are you cold?” he asked gently.  
“A little.”  
His hand slid down on her arm, coming to rest around her hand as he pulled her in the direction of the hostel and they started walking back.  
“So,” the Doctor began, “I told you my story. How about you tell me yours?”  
Clara cleared her throat. “I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have a story.”  
Even in the darkness Clara could tell that he knew she was lying from the way the Doctor looked at her.  
“It's nothing,” she added, “At least nothing compared to your story.”  
He shrugged next to her. “I don't know. You seem pretty angry, especially towards men. I thought something might have caused that.”  
Clara groaned but paused before she finally told him. “My boyfriend left me. We got into a fight at Christmas and he just left me without saying a word. Never heard of him again.”  
“Ouch,” the Doctor commented, “Not a nice thing to do.”  
“Yeah, you can imagine I was a little angry.”  
He squeezed her hand a little more tightly. “Not every guy is like this, Clara. There are a few decent ones out there.”  
“I know that,” she confirmed quietly when they reached the front door.

They both came to a halt, reluctant to go inside and the Doctor seemed to be considering something that he obviously wasn't sure about whether he should share it or not.  
“Is there something else?” she cocked an eyebrow at him.  
There was a pause. “I've been thinking about what you said,” the Doctor looked away from her, a serious expression on his face, “Clara, you're the first woman I've been with since. . . well, you know the story. I'm not really the type for casual. . . things.”  
Clara laughed lightly. “So?”  
“Obviously we both got off on the wrong foot but I thought maybe there's a change we could at least try to get to know each other. Beyond this trip, I mean. If you're interested, of course. Because you're right, Logan _is_ growing up and one day he has to learn that his mother can't be the only woman to ever be in my life.”  
“Are you asking me out on a date?” Clara asked carefully.  
He looked up at her hopefully. “If you would like to go out with me.”  
“I don't see why not,” she replied, smiling kindly, “I mean, it's only a date. We don't have to get married right away. And we get along in bed just fine, so maybe we would in other areas as well. If not we can still go our separate ways.”  
A look of relief washed over the Doctor's face. “Good,” he breathed, “So, your room or mine?”  
Clara bit down on her lip. “Are you sure we should? I mean, what if someone catches us?”  
“We don't have to, if you don't like.”  
But she did want to and she knew that once they had gone inside Clara would agree anyway. “Your room but I won't stay over night. If one of the kids comes looking for me at night and I'm not there, they'll know.”  
The Doctor smiled in reply. “Don't worry. I'm only interested in warming you up,” he said before he pulled her closer for another kiss.

 

* * *

 

Clara woke with a start when the noise of running and screaming children resounded on the corridor but when she tried to sit up she immediately realized she was being held by a strong arm.  
“Fuck!” she cried out and rolled over in bed to shake the Doctor awake, “Wake up! _Wake up!_ ”  
He grumbled something when she woke him but his eyes remained closed and he nestled his head deeper into the pillows.  
“Doctor! Wake up!” Clara shook him again, “The kids are up! We fell asleep!”  
Suddenly the Doctor's eyes were wide open and within a second he seemed just as alert as she was.  
“Shit,” he said as he sat up in bed, “What do we do?”  
Clara sighed. “We can't do anything except wait until they have all gone to breakfast. And then I'll join them and you can follow in a bit so it doesn't look like we overslept _together_.”

“Clara?!”  
She sat rigid as she heard Martha's voice on the corridor. Obviously her colleague was trying to wake her for breakfast and she would find nothing but an empty room. The only thing Clara could think of was telling her she had gone for a morning walk – as soon as she had changed out of yesterday's clothing.  
Then suddenly there was a knock on the door.  
“Mr Smith?!” Martha asked from outside, knocking again, “Can I come in?”  
His eyes widened in horror and Clara was sure that so did hers.  
“In the closet!” he told her frantically, his voice low, “Quick!”  
“What?!”  
“It's either that or being caught. Go on,” he said as he helped her gather up her clothes.  
“Mr Smith?!” Another knock came from the door.  
Clara bundled all of her clothing in her arms before she stepped into the crammed space of the closet.  
“Just a second! Getting dressed!” the Doctor called out to Martha before he closed the door and Clara found herself in complete darkness. The she heard the door to his room open.

“Hey, sorry, I must have overslept,” Clara heard him apologize to Martha.  
“It's okay,” she replied, “The bus isn't leaving for another hour. I just thought you might know where Clara is. She's not in her room and not in the bathroom either.”  
“Well, obviously I don't,” the Doctor told her.  
Martha sighed. “It was worth a try.”  
“Have you checked downstairs?” he asked, “Or outside? It looks like a lovely morning, she might have gone for a walk.”  
“Or I could just give her a call,” Martha suddenly suggested and Clara froze in shock. Her phone was in the pocket of her jeans and it was _not_ on silent.  
She tried finding the device amongst her clothing but before she could she already heard it ring. It was too late. They had been caught.

“That's no use, I'm afraid,” the Doctor's voice suddenly said and he sounded surprisingly calm, “Clara lent me her phone last night. Mine's got no reception up here and I had to make a call. It's in my room.”  
“Damn,” she heard Martha curse and the ringing ceased. Clara took a deep, silent breath, “Well, if you see her, tell her I'm looking for her.”  
“I will. I'll see you at breakfast in a bit,” the Doctor replied and a few moments later the closet door opened again.

As soon as she laid eyes on him Clara couldn't do anything except burst into laughter and the Doctor immediately followed her example.  
“I haven't done anything like that since my boyfriend hid from my father under my bed,” Clara said after a few moments, still giggling, “That was when I was 16.”  
“I have never done anything like that,” he replied.  
“Well, I'm glad I could help you cross this off your bucket list,” she said, “Why don't you go to breakfast and I'll change and follow you in a bit? You also need to check whether the coast is clear.”  
The Doctor leaned forward and pecked her on the lips. “Alright.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the sweet comments :)


	13. Chapter 13

Right when the Doctor was about to enter the teachers' bathrooms he spotted his son coming downstairs – alone – and decided to use the opportunity.  
“Hey kid, hang on a moment,” he called out for him.  
“I'm hungry, Dad!”  
“It'll only take a minute,” the Doctor promised him. And now he only had to remember to remain calm. Clara had told him what to do. It wasn't the end of the world. It was only his son's first kiss.  
Reluctantly Logan stepped closer and the Doctor took a deep breath before he spoke.  
“I'm sorry we barged in like that last night,” he apologized sincerely, “I doubt that you wanted me to witness this and I'm sorry that we ruined that moment for you. But if there's anything that you want to talk to me about, you know you can say it, right?”  
“Dad!” Logan groaned in annoyance.  
“Hey, look at me,” the Doctor told him and finally, if hesitantly, his son looked up. The Doctor smiled at him, “Melina is a cute one. Well done!”  
Eventually Logan's eyes lit up and he couldn't help but grin at his father, even though he seemed to be trying very hard to hide it.  
“Now go and get breakfast, your teacher said we're leaving in an hour,” the Doctor told his son and headed for the bathrooms. 

 

Luckily the weather seemed nice and warm, very fitting for what they had planned for the day. The bus would take them all to the Serpentarium, something the boys appeared to be a little more excited about than the girls from what the Doctor was gathering at the breakfast table but the boat tour planned for after the Serpentarium apparently appealed to them all. And they really couldn't have picked a lovelier day for it.  
However none of that compared to what the Doctor had planned for _tonight_. Since Clara had agreed to go on the date with him the Doctor's mind had been racing and he had decided he didn't want to wait until after the school trip was over. All he needed to make his idea come true was a walk to the local supermarket, nice weather and for Martha and Danny to agree to take another student watching shift.  
When the Doctor took his usual spot next to Clara on the bus he realized that she looked a little unsettled.  
“Is everything alright?” he asked her carefully.  
“Yeah,” she replied breathlessly.  
“You're a really bad liar.”  
Clara looked hurt when she turned her head in his direction. “I am a brilliant liar. Teacher, remember?”  
“That might work on the kids but not on me, so spill. What's bothering you?”  
She sighed and drew a long breath before answering. “I hate snakes.”  
“What?” the Doctor asked in surprise, “Why?”  
“They're ugly and wriggly and they make these weird hissing noises,” Clara explained, pulling a face.  
The Doctor couldn't help but laugh. “And you're sure your knowledge about snakes doesn't come from cartoons? They're not that bad, they're actually really interesting creatures.”  
Clara still frowned at him. Then suddenly he lowered his voice.  
“What are you doing tonight?” he asked her quietly.  
A look of excitement spread on her face. “I don't know. Why? Do you have any plans?”  
The Doctor grinned back at her. “Maybe? Depends on whether Martha and Danny will check on the kids.”  
“I'm sure I can convince them. If you tell me what you've got planned.”  
“Well, I'm not a young man anymore. Who knows what might happen to me until we get to go on a date after the class trip,” he said jokingly, earning a soft nudge into his ribs, “I thought we could do it tonight.”  
“The village we're staying in doesn't even have a pub. Where would you take me?”  
“It's a surprise,” he told her with a mischievous grin, “Take it or leave it.”  
“I'll take it,” Clara replied happily.

 

* * *

 

“I'm glad to see you're finally getting along,” Martha commented once they had all stepped off the bus and the Doctor was still looking around to find the entrance to the Serpentarium, “You were right about Clara this morning, by the way. She had gone for a walk.”  
“Yeah, it made sense. It's was lovely morning,” he replied absent-mindedly but then Martha pushed herself into his field of vision, an odd smile on her face.  
“Was it a lucky guess or did you know?”  
“I don't know,” he said, “She might have mentioned wanting to go for a walk. I can't really recall.”  
“Okay,” Martha said, still smiling as she stepped back and joined Danny and another group of children.  
The Doctor looked around and spotted Clara, reminding Courtney and two other girls not to touch anything unless they were told it was okay and then they all finally headed inside. Logan was with his best friends, though the Doctor caught him exchanging looks with Melina from time to time. When this trip was over he should definitely tell Logan it would be okay to invite that girl to their home. 

“Ugh, gross,” Clara, who had appeared next to him, shuddered as they both looked at the ball python.  
“Not gross. It's just chilling on its branch. Look,” the Doctor pointed out.  
“The kids can hold this one if they want to,” a friendly voice of one of the employees said all of a sudden as the young man came to a halt next to them.  
“That sounds dangerous. Are you sure that thing should be out if its cage?” Clara asked.  
“Actually, that sounds like something the kids would really enjoy. You know what? I'll go first,” the Doctor announced.  
“What?!” Clara asked him in horror, “You're gonna touch that thing?”  
“That _thing_ is a ball python and I'm going to show you that it's neither gross, nor dangerous.”  
The employee opened the lid of the cage and gently reached for the animal, lifting it up and handing it over to the Doctor. It wasn't his first time holding a snake, he had done it once before during a visit to the zoo when Logan had been younger and too scared to hold the animal on his own. But once again the Doctor was surprised that the snake was heavier than he had expected. Then he noticed how suspiciously Clara was watching him.  
“It's okay,” he told her gently, “It's perfectly harmless.”  
He held the python a little in her direction. “Go on. Touch it,” he told her.  
Clara frowned at him.  
“Nothing will happen, I promise.”  
With a sigh Clara finally reached out, careful at first, reluctantly caressing its skin with the tip of her fingers.  
“Uh,” she started to giggle, “This is. . . interesting.”  
“See, it's not so bad. Do you want to hold it?”  
“Oh, no, thanks,” Clara took a step back, “That would be taking it a little too far, I think.”

The Doctor passed the ball python on to the next kid that wanted to hold it and stepped aside, joining Clara as they watched the children take selfies and laughing and a few of the girls screeching as they touched the snake's skin.  
“I'm looking forward to tonight,” Clara whispered after a while, smiling at him.  
“So do I,” he replied, feeling happier than he had been for months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the sweet comments :)  
> Note: The Serpentarium they visit in this chapter really exists on Skye but has unfortunately closed to the general public last year.


	14. Chapter 14

After checking her watch over and over again she finally saw the digits she had been waiting for. Half past ten. That was when the Doctor had told her to put on her jacket and walk down to the lake to meet him. Clara had no idea how she would find him, having only her phone to illuminate her path but once she had reached the trees that shielded her view on the hostel she spotted a fire lit in the sand and the Doctor sitting next to it.  
“You complained about being cold last night so I made a fire,” he explained, “Oh, and I brought these.”  
Clara wasn't sure where he had found the stack of blankets but soon the Doctor placed one over her shoulders when she sat down next to him. He opened a basket, producing a bottle of wine and two plastic cups.  
“Thank you,” she said softly when she accepted one of the cups from him.  
“It's not much. The supermarket doesn't really have a lot of useful things for a first date. Except wine, salt crackers and cheese snacks.”  
Clara took a sip from her cup before letting her gaze wander over the scenery. They were sitting directly by the lake, she could even hear the fish when they breached the water's surface, a couple of crickets and of course the cracking of the fire. It was incredibly peaceful and calm.  
“I've definitely been on worse first dates,” she commented after a while and scooted a little closer, resting her head on the Doctor's shoulder as he closed his arm around her, “This is lovely. Too bad you didn't bring your guitar.”  
“I kinda need an amp for that,” he laughed softly before he placed a kiss on her head.  
“Shame.”  
Suddenly she felt his chest vibrating beneath her as he started humming a melody that felt vaguely familiar.  
“What song is this?” she asked him as quietly as possible.  
“ _By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond._ ”  
Clara smiled to herself as she leaned deeper into his embrace, hoping he wouldn't finish too soon. His voice was husky but quite pleasant and Clara had loved this song since her childhood. She had been looking forward to this trip to Scotland but she had never expected it could turn out so wonderful.  
She giggled when he had finished. “You are a terrible romantic, Doctor.”  
“You don't seem to mind.”  
Clara set the cup of wine aside, sat up, swinging her leg over him to straddle his lap before she bent down, placing a long kiss on his lips. His arms closed around her back, pulling her closer to him as their kiss deepened and she felt the heat course through her body, fuelling her arousal.  
“I don't mind,” she confirmed with a smile when their lips parted, “I think you are exactly what I need at this point in my life.”  
The Doctor slid his hands up, gently cupping her face in them. “Clara Oswald, I think exactly the same.”  
She uttered a small noise of surprise as he flipped them both over, pinning her down onto the blanket underneath them with the weight of his body before he kissed her again, kissed her lips, kissed his way down her neck, slowly nibbling at her skin before his lips came to rest between her breasts. Clara gasped when his hand slid down her body, parting her legs for him.  
Then suddenly both his mouth and hands were gone and she opened her eyes to see the Doctor pull a blanket over the two of them. Soon enough his fingers were back on her, hooked in the waistband of her knickers as he pulled them down from under her skirt. It became increasingly hot underneath the blanket with the help of the fire and their body heat. Then the Doctor brought his mouth back onto her skin, gently nibbling at her inner thighs and Clara giggled at the tickling sensation. Slowly, much too slowly he kissed his way upwards until he finally arrived where she wanted him, where her arousal was burning when he finally cupped her with his mouth. He slid his tongue between her folds playfully as if intending to tickle her a little more and Clara wasn't sure whether she groaned in frustration or pleasure.  
“Do you like it?” the Doctor asked as if he wasn't sure, pausing for a moment.  
“Mh-mh,” she uttered in response, burying her fingers into his silver curls to guide him back and he allowed her.  
He lapped at her skilfully, dipping the tip of his tongue inside her occasionally but never quite pleasing her, always leaving her crave for more. Clara pushed her hips up to meet him, moaning when he lingered on that one spot slightly longer than he had before and suddenly he stopped. Opening her eyes she watched him fiddle with his belt and, understanding what he was doing, Clara sat up and reached out to help him. Once they had pushed down his trousers and pants Clara beamed at the sight in front of her. He was hard already, ready to plunge inside her and the anticipation made tingle all over with excitement. Clara leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips, pulling him back on top of her.  
The Doctor moaned as he slipped inside of her, finally able to let himself go without the danger of the children hearing them and Clara wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his mouth down for a kiss when he started moving inside of her. They rocked their bodies together, finding the right rhythm, breathing heavily and exchanging sloppy kisses. She groaned again as his thrusts were beginning to hit deeper, brushing that spot that got her off almost each time but not quite hitting it. Wrapping her legs around him she used the momentum to turn them both over and the Doctor cried out beneath her when Clara sank down on top of him, taking him inside of her entirely.  
His hands wandered up, cupping her breasts through her shirt and fondling them carefully as she rode him, driving herself down on his cock at an increasing pace. By now the heat beneath the blanket had become almost unbearable and it was getting harder to breathe. Clara hooked her nails into the fabric of his shirt, trying to anchor herself in the real world when she realized her mind was beginning to slip away and give in to pleasure as she was closing in her orgasm. Sinking down deep on top of him Clara couldn't help but whimper as the bittersweet feeling was starting to run through her body and she went faster, the Doctor thrusting up inside her when finally he pushed her over the edge and a wave of release washed over her. She tightened around him as she climaxed and the Doctor's movements grew slower as he cried out and seconds later poured himself inside of her.  
Panting heavily Clara sank down next to him, finally catching her breath as they lifted the blanket over their heads. The Doctor bent over and kissed her.  
“Some first date,” she said, giggling, while their lips still touched.  
Finally he pulled away and grinned at her happily. “Best first date I've ever had.”  
“Yeah, you're right,” Clara agreed and sat up, searching for her knickers while the Doctor buttoned his trousers back up, “Okay, let's finish that wine and those salty crackers.”

Clara leaned back against the Doctor, her feet stretched out by the fire to warm them up. In one hand she was holding a cup filled with wine, in the other one of the crackers.  
“When we're back in London I'm going to take you to an actual restaurant,” the Doctor promised her.  
Clara giggled. “I'm already looking forward to it. But I doubt it can compete with this.”  
“Okay, how about sending Logan on a sleepover to his friends and a home cooked meal by candlelight?”  
“Romantic!” she called him teasingly.  
“Oh? Well, if you prefer adventure over romance we could drive to the coast and swim the Channel together. In December.”  
She wrinkled her nose. “Erm, no, thanks, I'm good. Let's do romance.”  
Suddenly Clara felt his lips on her cheek. “I'm sure I can think of something that is both,” he said gently.”  
“I can't wait.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments, guys! You rock!


	15. Chapter 15

Clara had bundled half of the blankets in her arms and the Doctor was carrying the rest along with the basket of food and drinks as they made their way back into the hostel. He wasn't sure exactly what time it was but he guessed that it was already way past midnight.  
“My room? Or yours?” the Doctor asked her hopefully. He didn't want to push it but falling asleep next to Clara had been lovely and it was a feeling that he hadn't even been aware he had missed so much the past few years.  
“Alright, your room,” she agreed to his surprise as they entered through the door, “But I'll sleep in my own. I'm not going to hide in your closet again.”  
“ _Busted!_ ” Martha's voice said and the Doctor spotted the other teacher standing in front of them, looking slightly amused.  
“Martha!” Clara exclaimed in surprise. The door fell close behind them.  
A knowing smile spread on the woman's face as she observed the pair. “So, this morning when Clara was _out for a walk_ she was, for some reason, actually in your closet. Do I wanna know why that was?”  
The Doctor knew that it was no use trying to find excuses. This time they had truly been caught and there was no denying anything. But he also knew that she was Clara's colleague, so she should be the one to tell her.  
“I don't think you do,” Clara mumbled sheepishly.  
“When I told you to get along, you do realize I didn't mean it _like this_ , right?” Martha rolled her eyes, “But please, no snogging in front of the kids.”  
“No,” the Doctor said immediately, “Logan can't know. At least not like this. I'll tell him once we get back home but the kids can't know anything about this.”  
“I won't tell a soul, I promise,” Martha said in a calm tone, “But if I can figure you out, so can the children. They're not stupid.”  
“We know that,” Clara threw in and reached out to take his hand, squeezing it on her own for a moment, “I think I should go to my own room.”  
The Doctor nodded as she let go of his hand again.  
“And I will check on the kids again. Courtney was still talking ten minutes ago,” Martha announced before she headed back upstairs.

He took the blankets from Clara and walked into the basement to bring them all back where he had taken them from, stacking them all neatly in the box next to the shelves. The Doctor couldn't help but think that Martha was right – if she could catch them, so could the kids and God forbid Logan came to talk to him for whatever reason while he was with Clara. They should keep it casual until they were all back home, he concluded.  
The students had caused quite a bit of havoc down in the basement and the Doctor decided to put away some of the games before going to sleep since he wasn't yet tired when suddenly the door burst open. He turned around to see Clara and Martha standing in the doorway, looking troubled and slightly out of breath.  
“Is everything alright?” he asked them in confusion.  
“No,” Clara replied, obviously nervous and unsure about something, “Doctor. . . Logan. . . he's not in his room.”  
Frowning the Doctor stepped closer. “What? Where is he?”  
Now Clara seemed utterly miserable as she hesitate to answer.  
“Clara?!”  
“Courtney sneaked out of her room. She saw us at the beach,” she admitted, “And she told Logan.”  
“ _What?!_ ”  
“Doctor, calm down,” Clara told him, “He can't be far. Courtney said she told him twenty minutes ago.”  
“Have you tried calling him?!”  
“Of course we have,” Martha said, “It was the first thing we did but he's not answering. We don't even know if he's got his phone on him.”  
The Doctor didn't care how long it had been or that Courtney had seen them or about what exactly that girl had told his son. He only knew that he had to find him and quickly. The last time Logan had learned that his father was dating someone he had taken it anything but well and now he was out there, not even London but in an unfamiliar area and he was alone.  
“We have to find him,” the Doctor told them and rushed past the two teachers who followed him on his heels. 

Once outside he realized how hopeless it was. It was dark, they didn't have any torches except on their phones. They knew the area as little as Logan did – he could be anywhere. But they _had_ to find him.  
“We should split up,” Clara suggested, “Martha and I will go into the village, you go down the road that leads out of here. Don't worry, we will find him.”  
“It's my fault,” the Doctor said absent-mindedly as he stared on the road ahead of him, “If something happens to him, it's my-”  
“No,” Clara said gently and reached for his arm, “Don't even think about it. We'll find Logan, we'll bring him back and you can explain everything to him. Nothing is going to happen. He's a big kid.”  
He nodded and Clara let go of him but no matter what she told him it was still his fault. He should have been patient. He shouldn't have insisted on spending time with Clara in secret. He should have waited and told Logan about it at home. He should have eased him into it. Of course his son had run away. He felt betrayed, cheated and it was all his fault.  
“Keep your phone close,” Clara told him, “We'll call you as soon as we find him. And we will. Don't doubt that for a second.”  
And with that Clara and Martha turned around and headed into the village. The Doctor drew his phone from his pocket and dialled Logan's number. It rang and rang and rang until eventually the mailbox answered. Shaking his head the Doctor slid it back into his pocket and broke out into a run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the comments :) I'm glad you all loved their date XD  
> Sorry that this chapter is a little shorter. Unfortunately I've injured my eye and looking at screens for a longer period of time isn't exactly pleasant right now. I hope you'll understand and I also hope that this will pass soon. I'm trying to continue the daily updates, even it they turn out a little shorter.


	16. Chapter 16

The Doctor found Logan sitting on a bench at the bus stop right outside the village and when his son noticed him approaching he looked up for a second before he turned his back on him. Nevertheless the Doctor felt utterly relieved to have found him. The rest would be sorted out, if not tonight then definitely when they were back at home.  
“Go away!”  
The Doctor stopped and took his phone from his pocket, typing “found him” in a message and sending it to Clara so they could return to the hostel.  
“Logan, we need to talk,” the Doctor said gently when he came to a halt next to the bench, “Can I sit?”  
“No.”  
The Doctor frowned and eventually sat down next to his son despite Logan's protest.  
“Well, as far as I can tell this is a public bench,” he said and turned towards his son, sighing. He still wasn't looking at him, “Logan, you can't just run away.”  
The boy shrugged in reply.  
“Not to mention that you don't know the area and something could have happened to you, you need to _talk_ to me if something is bothering you. Running away is not a solution. I know, _I know_ , the way you found out about your teacher and me was less than ideal but I swear, I would have told you once we got home.”  
“That's not the point,” Logan replied grumpily, “I heard you talking with Miss Oswald and Miss Jones. I know you wanted to tell me.”  
“Then what _is_ the point, Logan?”  
“You lied,” his son said accusingly, finally turning around to face him, “You said you wouldn't replace Mum! You promised me you wouldn't date!”  
“Oh,” the Doctor uttered and tried to place his hand on his son's shoulder but Logan shrugged it off, “Logan, that was over two years ago and I promised I wouldn't date _for now_.”  
“You're a liar!”  
He sighed and lowered his head. “I'm sorry, kid. You're right. But let's go back to the hostel and we'll talk about everything when we're back in London, okay?”  
“Will you stop seeing Miss Oswald?” Logan looked at him hopefully.  
The Doctor raised an eyebrow at him. “Would you want that? Would that make you feel better?”  
The kid nodded gravely. The Doctor had feared it would come down to this but he saw no other way to get his son to come back to the hostel with him.  
He sighed in defeat. “Okay, I promise I will stop seeing Miss Oswald until we had a chance to talk about everything under the condition that you'll come back to the hostel with me. Do we have a deal?”

Wordlessly his son stood up from the bench and began walking back in the direction of the hostel. The Doctor took that as a confirmation that they had come to an agreement although he couldn't be sure. One thing was for certain: he had messed up and fixing it would take time.

 

* * *

 

After receiving a message from the Doctor Clara had tried calling him but he hadn't answered. Concluding that he was still talking to Logan Clara and Martha headed back to the hostel but she didn't feel like going to bed immediately even though it was already half past one and they had a long hiking trip planned for their last day on Skye.  
Clara waited in her room, hoping the Doctor would come to talk to her as soon as they were back but he never showed up. It was two a.m. when she tried to knock on his door but to no avail. Then an idea crossed her mind and Clara went down the stairs.  
Once she had reached the door that led to the basement she could hear the soft music coming from the common room where he had given his concert on the first night and quietly Clara opened the door.  
The Doctor was sitting on a box, his guitar on his lap and he was strumming a few chords that didn't seem to really make up any song she was familiar with. But he was so lost in what he was doing that he hadn't even heard her enter. Quietly Clara cleared her throat and finally he looked up.  
“Oh,” he uttered in surprise, “Hey. I didn't hear you come in.”  
He stopped playing and set the guitar down next to the stereo system, looking at her through tired eyes.  
“How did it go with Logan?”  
The Doctor opened his mouth to speak but instead of replying he only blew out air and his shoulders sank a little lower. “Not so well, I'm afraid,” he admitted, “But he's back in his room and he promised not to run away again.”  
“Well, it's a start,” Clara commented as she took a seat next to him on the same box. Gently she reached out for his hand and when they touched the Doctor looked up to give her a sad smile.  
“We agreed that we'll talk about it at home,” the Doctor explained, “And I promised him that I would stop seeing you. At least for the time being.”  
Clara nodded softly until the wording of his last sentence caught her attention.  
“Hang on, _at least_ for the time being?”  
The Doctor inhaled sharply. “He's not okay with me dating. Not yet. I'm hoping that I'll be able to convince him that I'm not trying to replace his mother but if he's unhappy with this, _really_ unhappy. . . Logan comes first. And he always will.”  
“I know that,” Clara replied, more defensively than she had intended and let go of his hand, “But we talked about this, too, Doctor. He's going to turn 14 this summer, he's not a child anymore. You can't put him in bubble wrap for the rest of his life and you deserve to be happy as well.”  
“I'm happy when my son is happy!” the Doctor spat back at her.  
“No, not like this, Doctor,” she argued, “Logan needs to grow up and that means he has to learn to accept a couple of things, for instance that is father isn't there to cater to his every mood. You are an amazing father and deciding to date again won't change that. It's good that Logan is the most important thing in your life, but he shouldn't be the only thing. You deserve this. And after a while Logan will come to see that as well. He's a teenager, of course he's against the idea at first but he'll come around.”  
“So you suggest I go against his wishes and hope it'll all turn out fine? But what if it's _not_ turning out fine?”  
“It _will_ , I promise. Just give him time to get used to the idea. I agree that we should stop seeing each other until you two had a chance to talk but you can't let Logan decide your life for you. Not forever.”  
“I will talk to him. Once we're back home,” the Doctor agreed, “But I will not go against his wishes.”  
“Doctor-”  
“With all due respect, Clara, I'm his father and you're only his teacher. I think I know better than you in this case,” he said angrily and rose from his seat.  
“Doctor, wait-” Clara tried to say but he had already grabbed his guitar and headed out of the room, leaving Clara on her own and again confused. And also a little bit angry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so very very much for the comments and also thanks for understanding that I might not be able to update daily the next few days.


	17. Chapter 17

Clara slept horribly that night, tossing and turning and thinking about everything that had happened and everything that had been said and she came to the conclusion that the Doctor was acting like an idiot and he was definitely in the wrong. Once that conclusion was made Clara could finally fall asleep.  
Naturally she woke up tired the next morning and went downstairs to at least get some breakfast before they went out for another hike and she swore to herself that even if she twisted her ankle again she would rather crawl back on all fours than to have the Doctor carry her. His voice still echoed in her mind as Clara walked along the corridor. _I'm his father and you're only his teacher. I think I know better than you._ That man knew absolutely nothing. He might have raised Logan well but Clara had dealt with countless children in her time as a teacher and before that, during her time at college, she had been an au pair to two kids, practically raising them after her mother's death. She knew just as much about children as the Doctor did, maybe even more and she would not be talked to like that.  
Once Clara had arrived at the buffet she reached for the last chocolate croissant without thinking and placed it on her plate before filling a mug with coffee.  
When she turned around however Clara found herself face to face with the Doctor.  
“Is that a joke?” he asked grumpily, appearing as tired as she felt, “The last chocolate croissant?”  
Without thinking much about it Clara put her mug aside, lifted the croissant to her mouth and took a large bite from it. “Mhhh, yes,” she replied, chewing, “And it's really delicious.”  
The Doctor rolled his eyes. “Did no one ever tell you not to talk with food in your mouth?” he asked as he made his way past her to the buffet.  
Clara made the decision not to reply to that. She should be feeling at least a little victorious over having attained the last croissant, like he had at that petrol station on their first day of the trip but instead Clara felt sad over having resorted to their old games again. They had gotten along so well and she liked the Doctor, maybe even a bit more than was good for her. A part of her just wanted to settle that stupid argument – until she remembered her wounded pride. No. First the Doctor would have to apologize. 

 

* * *

 

The hike was a lot easier with the walking stick she had picked up at the hostel and Clara was able to keep up well with the rest of the group despite her ankle. Soon she would be able to rest it properly and it would be as good as new in no time. She only had to make it through today. Tomorrow they would drive back to Glasgow and the day after they would all return home and then it was only three days until the summer holidays. Clara could hardly wait.  
“What was that all about?”  
When Clara looked up she spotted the Doctor walking next to her and he looked more than just a little cross.  
“I don't know what you're talking about,” she replied and stared straight on the way ahead.  
“You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about. The chocolate croissant? Your cheap way of getting _revenge_?”  
She snorted. “Don't be silly. What would I need revenge for?”  
“That's what I'm asking you,” the Doctor said, “You can't seriously be mad just because I'm putting my son before a woman I've slept with.”  
“ _A woman you've slept with?_ ” Clara turned back around, staring at him in disbelief, “Excuse me, but I was under the impression we were a little more than just that, or at least that you wanted it to be more.”  
“I did, I-”  
Clara sighed. “Wrong tense. Very, very wrong,” she said and marched ahead, trying to leave the Doctor behind.  
“Clara,” he called after her, “Please, I need you to understand-”  
“I understand just fine,” Clara replied without looking back, “You put your son first, no matter if that's the wrong thing to do. That's okay. I'll survive. But if you keep doing that you'll just end up alone and I hope you know that.”

 

* * *

 

The Doctor had no idea what to do. He hated the fact that both Clara and his son were mad at him and it seemed utterly impossible to please them both. He would talk to Logan once they were at home, he had to, because he actually wanted to date Clara. He wanted to keep holding her, kissing her, waking up next to her. Being with Clara had made him realize how much he had truly missed that. But if his son was really so much against the idea, then how could he even think about it? On top of everything the Doctor hated the way Clara was acting towards him, maybe because he somehow agreed with her but he just couldn't bring himself to hurt Logan. And he also wanted to be with Clara. The Doctor groaned when he realized his thoughts all seemed to run into the same dead end. Logan or Clara. Why couldn't he just have both? Why could it never be easy?  
In frustration the Doctor picked up his guitar and headed upstairs, knocking on the kids' doors.  
“Rock concert in the basement in five minutes!” he shouted and could immediately heard the bustling children jumping out of their beds to get ready.  
When he headed downstairs he briefly considered knocking on Clara's door as well but decided against it. She wouldn't join them. But at least the Doctor could make sure that he played Pretty Woman loud enough for her to hear. She would know. Or wouldn't she?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate it when I can't write as much as I want to. This eye thing pretty much strips me off all of my hobbies except playing the guitar. Thank you guys so much for the comments and your patience :)


	18. Chapter 18

Clara still felt tired when she stepped on the bus but at least she wasn't the only one. All of the children still seemed half asleep and had large shadows under their eyes after the late night rock concert the Doctor had given for them. At first she had been annoyed when the sound of the electric guitar had resounded through the hostel and then, when he had played Pretty Woman Clara had only felt sad and even a little angry. She knew that it had been meant for her but it didn't change a thing. If Logan didn't 'allow' his father to date Clara would never see the Doctor again. Their fate rested in the hands of a 13-year-old.

Wordlessly the Doctor sank into the seat next to her and he seemed as tired as the rest of them. He wore his silly plaid trousers again and another one of his torn shirts under the black hoodie. He looked so utterly ridiculous and yet all Clara could think about was how lovely it would be to just sink into his arms and rest her head against his chest. Quickly she turned her head away.  
“Can't we just act like adults?” the Doctor asked her wearily and in a voice too quiet for the children to overhear them.  
“I'm not the one acting like an idiot,” Clara spat back at him.  
“Oh?” the Doctor cocked an eyebrow at her, “So considering your child is idiotic now?”  
She sighed. “Can we please not talk about it? Or can we not talk at all?”  
“Fine,” he replied and sank back in his seat. 

The Doctor remained silent for a while until the rest of the children had boarded the bus and the vehicle was slowly setting into motion. Ernie, the bus driver, made an announcement about what a lovely trip it had been and how sad he was to see that it was almost over. He also thanked the entire class for being the best behaved he had ever had the pleasure of driving and Clara was fairly sure that Ernie said that to every class.  
“He's right. It's sad that the trip is already over,” the Doctor said after a moment.  
“I don't know,” Clara replied with a sigh, “I kinda miss my own bed.”  
“I don't,” he turned around to face her, “I loved just lying next to you. I will miss that.”  
“Doctor, please. Just don't.”  
“I meant what I said. I would love to see you again but only if Logan is okay with that.”  
“But he never will be. I'm his teacher. What kid could possibly be okay with their parent dating their teacher?! So stop it! Stop being sweet! It just makes it harder!”  
“Clara-”  
“Don't Clara me,” she said strictly, “Just. . . don't say anything. This whole thing was stupid from the beginning, I should have known better.”  
“It was anything but stupid,” he argued, “I. . . I like you. I really do. And I was under the impression that you like me in the same way.”  
“Well,” Clara said and leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms in front of her chest and closing her eyes, “Seems as if your impression was wrong. Now shut up and let me sleep.”

 

* * *

 

Clara didn't talk to him for the rest of the day and the Doctor felt slightly at a loss. All he knew was that he needed to talk to Logan as soon as they were back home. He didn't want to lose Clara, which was odd cause he had never had her in the first place. But he wanted her in his life so, so much.  
Unable to rest in the bed of the hostel in Glasgow where they had stayed once before the Doctor got up and crossed the corridor until he found himself standing in front of Clara's room. He knocked and waited until she told him to come in.  
“You,” Clara blurted out once she saw him, “I thought it was Martha.”  
The Doctor looked down at himself and back up at Clara. “Nope. Not Martha. Apparently.”  
“What do you want?”  
The Doctor shrugged in reply. “You,” he admitted, “I want you.”  
“Stop it,” Clara said, sounding as if she was annoyed by his sudden appearance, “This isn't leading anywhere.”  
He took a step closer. “I think I might be falling in love with you.”  
“Great,” she replied sarcastically, “Just great. And you know what? _I_ think we're headed for heartbreak cause you and I both know Logan will never be fine with this.”  
The Doctor simply looked at her. She was so beautiful and all he wanted to do was kiss her.  
“I told you, I will talk to Logan,” the Doctor explained, approaching her, “He will come around eventually. We don't have to make it public right away, we can wait until he's gotten used to the idea.”  
Clara gawked at him. “So you want to _lie_ to your son about us? Doctor, you can't do that! Of all the ideas you've had that is by far the worst.”  
“Then what do you suggest we do, Clara?!” the Doctor asked her angrily, “I want to be with you but not if it hurts Logan.”  
“I told you what you can do,” she replied, “You have to start treating him like the adult he will soon be and that involves not always getting what you want. And that goes for you, too. You can't have everything. If you intend to make your son happy that means you can't have me and I won't have you lie to your son. I'm not going to be part of that game.”  
The Doctor let his head sink and sighed. “Oh, Clara. Why can't it just be easy?”  
“I don't know,” she said.  
Before he could think better of it the Doctor stepped closer and raised his hand to her cheek, waiting to hear Clara's protest but she never said a thing to stop him when he brought their lips together in a soft kiss. He was going to miss her lips so much.  
“I think you should go,” Clara said quietly once the kiss ended.  
“Yeah,” he agreed, “Good night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the comments :) Again sorry that the chapter is a bit shorter but look at the bright side. This way you'll get shorter but more chapters and (almost) daily updates ;)


	19. Chapter 19

Clara would have loved to walk through the hostel corridors, cursing everything and everyone when she made her way to the bathrooms the following morning. Why was she always so unlucky when it came to love? It seemed to her as if she could either make it work with an idiot or fall for a decent guy and accept that they could never be together without complications.  
And just when she thought it couldn't get any worse Clara spotted a single student emerging from the bathrooms. Logan stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her but Clara was determined to play it as cool as possible. She would have to look him in the eye again at some point, especially on Monday when he would be sitting in her class again.  
“Good morning,” she greeted him in a friendly manner but she got no reply back as Logan tried to walk past her.  
“Hold on,” Clara said, “Can I talk to you for a moment? I promise it won't take long.”  
The boy shrugged and looked utterly bored when he turned around to face Clara. She noticed that he never quite looked her in the eye but his focus seemed to be on a spot somewhere on the wall.  
“I'm sorry about what happened,” she apologized quietly, “Your dad and I never meant to hurt you in any way and I hope you know that. It wasn't fair of us to do that behind your back but your dad thought it would be for the best. He wanted to tell you as soon as you got home, don't doubt that. He wanted to be honest with you but he also wants to protect you.”  
“I don't need protection,” Logan spat back at her, “I need him to keep his promise. He promised he wouldn't date.”  
“What? Never again?” Clara asked in disbelief, smiling lightly, “You can't expect your dad to be alone forever. He's a nice guy and he deserves to be with someone, don't you think?”  
There was no reply from Logan.  
“Imagine your dad demanded you stopped seeing Melina. How would that feel, mh?”  
Clara could see that the boy shifted his weight from one leg to the other, obviously uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken all of a sudden.  
“Logan, this is none of my business and I have no right to tell you or your father what to do. He is a grown man and you're on your way to becoming one and you have to talk about it and find a solution. I'm only your teacher and I hope that as such I won't lose your respect, no matter what happens. Just know that it's not my intention to come between you and your dad. I like him, but you will always come first. He wouldn't ever do anything to hurt you.”  
Slowly Logan nodded and for the first time he looked up and right at her. “Can I go now?”  
Clara sighed in defeat. “Yes, you can go now.”  
She watched as Logan made his way across the corridor, taking all of her hopes and dreams about a future with the Doctor with him.

 

* * *

 

When the Doctor got on the bus he was surprised to find Danny Pink sitting in the seat next to his instead of Clara and it caused him to come to a halt.  
“Uhm, the women had something to discuss about the last day of school,” Mr Pink said to him but the way he avoided his gaze immediately told the Doctor that he was lying.  
“Save your breath,” the Doctor replied angrily and dropped his bags next to his seat before he walked further into the bus, making his way towards where Clara and Martha were sitting. When Clara spotted him he realized how miserable she was looking and it almost changed his mind about talking to her.  
“Clara, I thought we could handle this like adults,” he said accusingly in a voice too low for the excited children to hear. Martha however was witnessing it all.  
“Do you want me to leave you alone?” she asked uncomfortably.  
“No need,” Clara replied before she turned towards the Doctor, “Please, Doctor, go back to your seat. I don't want a fuss.”  
“I'm not making a fuss. You're the one refusing to sit next to me like a sulky 13-year-old.”  
“I'm not sulking,” Clara said determinedly, “But I can't stand to sit next to you for 7 hours. It's only making it harder to say goodbye. Besides, I don't think Logan could enjoy the rest of the trip knowing we're sitting in the front of the bus, talking and getting along. So please, just go back to your seat and accept it.”  
The Doctor sighed and was about to head back to his own seat when he turned back around to Clara. “I _will_ talk to Logan. I promise.”

 

* * *

 

After the bus had stopped in front of Coal Hill Clara quickly grabbed her luggage and headed outside. She had called Amy an hour ago, informing her about the time of their arrival and to her huge relief Clara could already spot her friend standing there amongst the agitated parents waiting for their children to return home. This was her chance to get lost in the crowd of hugging and chattering people and she approached Amy immediately.  
“Let's go home,” she told her friend, “Now!”  
Amy laughed. “What's the rush? Don't you want to say goodbye?”  
“Nope, I don't. Now come on!”

As quickly as possible they both hurried through the mass of people and only stopped once they had reached Amy's car.  
“Whoah, slow down,” her friend commented, “What's the problem?”  
“Just drive, okay? I need to get away. I'll tell you everything as soon as we're out of here and trust me, it's a _long_ story.”  
“Okay,” Amy replied, still somewhat confused.  
Once their car had left the school car park Clara spotted the Doctor standing by the side of the road, the look on his face sad and disappointed when he saw her driving off. She only watched as he raised his hand and waved at her before she turned her head. This was the last she would ever see of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the comments :) I've finished the story now so tomorrow you will get that last chapter.


	20. Chapter 20

The Doctor carefully knocked on Logan's door and peeked through the crack where he saw his son lying on the bed with one of his comic books.  
“Hey kid, can I come in?” he asked.  
Logan simply shrugged and looked back down at the painted pictures in front of him. Reluctantly the Doctor stepped closer, realizing that his son was still mad at him.  
“I could take you to the comic book shop if your school report looks good this year. What do you say?” he suggested casually as he sat down next to his son.  
“I have a C in maths,” he admitted without looking up.  
“That's the only C, right?”  
Logan nodded.  
“That sounds good enough for some new comics,” the Doctor said, taking a deep breath, “But that's not what I came to talk to you about. Could you please put the comic away for a moment and look at me?”  
Reluctantly his son pushed the pages aside and sat up in bed, appearing anything but amused. He knew. Logan knew what this was about.  
“I know you're not a kid anymore and I know you already know everything there is to know about it, so I'm just going to say it,” the Doctor began, “I really like your teacher. Miss Oswald is nice, don't you think?”  
“I guess,” Logan replied with a shrug.  
“Well, _I_ think she's very nice and I would love to get to know her better. I think you understand, you know, because of Melina.”  
His son stared down at his feet that he had crossed on front of him.  
“I know you loved your mother very much and there was a time I really loved her, too. But you know that we were separating before her death and we had our reasons. Your mother and I had agreed that we would probably be better off with someone else, we just weren't good for each other and no one was to blame for that. The important thing is that she was your mother and I don't intend to replace her. _No one_ could ever replace her. Do you understand that?”  
Slowly he nodded but still avoided his father's gaze.  
“I agreed that I wouldn't date anyone back then because I thought it would be best for you. I wanted to be there for you and I hope I was. But you're growing up so fast and you'll be a man in the blink of an eye and I don't think you still need me as much. I think there's room for more than just you. I'm not saying that I want your teacher to move in with us or be your stepmother or anything like that. I just want a chance to get to know her but I want you to be okay with that.”  
Still Logan remained silent and the Doctor reached out and nudged him gently to finally make him look up.  
“Come on, kid,” he smiled at his son, “We kinda a need a woman around here. At least I do. I need someone to tell me to clean up my room like I do with you cause I'll never do it on my own.”  
Finally his son cracked a smile, even if it was only a shy one.  
“So you're not gonna marry Miss Oswald?” he asked.  
“No, at least not any time soon,” the Doctor replied reassuringly, “And not without your permission. Logan, you're the most important person in my life and you always will be. You're my pal and no woman can change that. So, what do you say? Do I have your permission to ask your teacher out on a date?”  
Logan pulled a face, looking slightly disgusted. “Only if you use protection. I do not want a sibling. Ever!”  
The Doctor broke out into laughter. “I was gonna have that conversation with you, not the other way around. But let's make this a deal. There will be no siblings for you as long as there will be no grandkids for me, eh?”  
“Ew, Dad!”  
The Doctor reached out to ruffle his son's hair, laughing as he did before he pulled him closer for a hug. And for the first time in a long while Logan even hugged him back. 

 

* * *

 

With a long, tired sigh Clara sank down in her chair after the class had finally left the room. Summer holidays. That was exactly what she needed right now. Long, relaxing, stress free summer holidays. Then suddenly she was startled by a knock and the door and she turned around to see the Doctor standing in the doorway. For a moment she was mad at him and ready to yell until she spotted a bouquet of flowers in his hands.  
“What are you doing here?” she asked him warily.  
“I'm picking up Logan, promised to take him to the comic book shop if his school report looks good this year. He's waiting in the car and I thought I could steal a moment to talk to you?” he raised the bouquet higher, waving it slightly.  
Clara considered it for a moment before she rolled her eyes and gestured for him to step inside the classroom. She rose from her seat and leaned back against the desk.  
“So?” she asked.  
“So, I brought flowers,” he said and handed them over, staying an arm's length away from her.  
Reluctantly Clara took them from him and admired them for a moment. “Nice,” she commented casually, “Nice flowers.”  
“I talked to Logan,” the Doctor explained after a moment, “And I'm afraid I had to make a deal.”  
Clara frowned at him, wondering what on earth he had done now. “What kind of deal?”  
“I promised him he wouldn't get any siblings as long as I wouldn't get any grandchildren. I hope that's not a problem?”  
For a moment Clara had a hard time believing what he was saying. “What?” she asked in confusion, “What does that mean?”  
The Doctor granted her a smile. “It means he's okay with us dating. Took a bit of talking to convince him but he seems fine with the idea. We probably shouldn't show it off too much right away but, generally, he's fine with it.”  
“Really? Just like that?” Clara asked in disbelief, “I, erm, I don't know what to say.”  
“Well,” his smile widened, “You could start by saying that you will go out on a date with me on Saturday. Logan is at a sleepover. He and Tim and Leon want to play video games all night, I think. We would have the house to ourselves.”  
“And he's _really_ fine with it?” she felt the need to ask once more.  
“Ask Logan if you don't believe me.”  
“I do, I believe you” Clara replied, looking down at the flowers in her hands, “I should probably put these in water.”  
When Clara turned around to the washbasin she suddenly felt the Doctor's hand on her arm, softly pulling her back in his direction.  
“You haven't answered my question. Will you go on a date with me on Saturday?”  
She huffed in reply. “Of course I'll go on a date with you, you idiot.”  
Clara didn't even have time to prepare before the Doctor bent down and kissed her, cupping her face in both his hands as he did.  
“Not here,” she mumbled against his lips, “One of the kids might see us.”  
The Doctor pulled away for a moment, grinning. “They all know already anyway.”  
“Okay,” she shrugged, “Good point.”  
Just as she was about to yield to another one of his kisses Clara heard someone clear their throat by the door and when she looked past the Doctor she spotted the headmaster standing in the doorway.  
“Mr Chesterton,” Clara blurted out, quickly stepping away from the Doctor, “I didn't even hear you come in.”  
The old man smiled kindly. “I'd have been surprised if you did. The teachers are all gathering for tea and biscuits in the staff room if you want to join.”  
“I'll be there in five,” she replied nervously and only started breathing again when she heard Mr Chesterton's steps retreating. 

Both the Doctor and Clara started giggling once they were alone.  
“Not to add any pressure but that date better be a good one now cause all the teachers will be asking me about it after the holidays,” Clara said jokingly.  
“I think I can handle the pressure,” the Doctor smiled, “And I better get back to the car now, Logan is waiting. I'll pick you up at six?”  
“Don't be late,” Clara told him, smiling, and watched until the Doctor had left the room. She lifted the bouquet of flowers to her nose and inhaled deeply, the smile still on her face when she realized that she felt really, truly happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And a huge thanks to everyone who read the story and left a comment and kudos :) It makes me so happy to see/read that my fanfics are appreciated and loved. I've already started on the next one, another professor/student AU but it'll probably be a few days before I start posting. I'm still in the planning stages and I've only written down a few scenes. I want to wait until my eye is fully back to normal before I throw myself into that but I hope I'll be seeing you as my readers again for that one :)


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